


Academicals

by AnnaOnTheMoon



Series: Academicals [1]
Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: Accident, Experimenting Sexually, F/M, Family, First Times, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluffy, Injury, Love, Love Story, Nausicaans, PTSD, Romance, Starfleet Academy, Trauma, altered timeline, more fluff than plot, overcoming illness, pre-stargazer era, wibby wobbly timey wimey
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-20
Updated: 2018-05-31
Packaged: 2019-03-21 20:55:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 73,840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13749081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnnaOnTheMoon/pseuds/AnnaOnTheMoon
Summary: Beverly and Jean-Luc have been Best friends for two years at Starfleet Academy.  It's time to change things.Follows Beverly and Jean-Luc through their final years at the Academy and  beyond.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A/N Wibby Wobbly Timey Wimey. Beverly, Jean-Luc, Walker, Jack, Corey, and Marta are all the same age.

Beverly entered the flat she shared with her best friends, kicked off her boots, and flopped onto the sofa resting her feet in the lap of the person who was occupying  one end of the sofa and let out a long sigh.

“Long day, Bev?”

“Ugh, yes.”  Beverly ran her fingers through her hair, doing more damage than good before shaking her head out and making her companion laugh.  “Wish I could do that.”

“Hmm. You’d need more hair first.”  Jean-Luc ran a hand over his head, where his receding hairline was most definitely prominent.  “No chance of that.”  Beverly grinned.

“It’s Friday! Two glorious days ahead of no uniform and no class! What are we doing?”

“Corey and Marta are going on a date, and I was told by Corey we weren’t invited,”  Beverly harrumphed.  “Jack...well, you know Jack. He’s found some girl to take out. Warned me he might bring her back here.”

“Ugh, no respect. What about Wally?”

“He went home for the weekend. Something about his sister?  I think she has a show or something he wanted to attend.” 

“Hmm. So I guess it’s just you and me.”  Beverly smiled at her friend and wiggled her toes in his lap.  Jean-Luc  peeled off her socks and took a foot in his hand to start to knead it.  Beverly closed her eyes.  “Mmm.  Thanks.” Jean-Luc smiled, though Beverly still had her eyes shut.  “Well, I guess if Wally is away, Corey and Marta will be in his and Corey’s room, and if Jack is bringing back a girl...you can stay in my room tonight.  No reason for you to sleep on the sofa.”

“If you’re sure, Bev.  I mean...what if you meet some guy tonight you want to bring home?”  Beverly snorted.  “Hah!  Like I’ve _ever_. Studying both pre-med and Command keeps me too busy to date...have fun....all the good stuff.”  She pretended to pout and Jean-Luc moved to her other foot.  “Besides, who needs a date when I have you!”  She sweetly smiled at her best friend.

“You’re just saying that because I’m giving you a foot massage,” Jean-Luc said as he worked his fingers up her calves.  “Mmm....but you do it so well.”  Jean-Luc moved his hands up to her knees and gently stroked the back making her laugh. “Hey, that tickles.”

“Fair is fair.”  Beverly studied her friend.  “Take me dancing?”  He groaned. “Bev....”

“What?”

“You know I’m not very good at it.”  Beverly leaned forward and kissed Jean-Luc on the cheek.  “I think you do alright.  Not all of us can be classically trained like me.” 

“Is that all you did on Caldos? Danced and studied for your entrance exam?”

“Mostly. It’s not like you were any better.  Either stamping on grapes or studying.”

“We don’t stamp on grapes...anymore,” Jean-Luc replied indignantly.  “We have a press now.”

“Hmm.  My point still stands.”  Jean-Luc sighed. “You won’t let up until I agree, will you?”

“Nope.  And I want to go out to dinner.” 

“Hmm. This is suspiciously beginning to sound like a date.  I get dressed up, take a nice girl out for a meal, dancing, and then I get to come home and sleep in her roommate’s bed.”   Beverly laughed.

“Well, if there’s someone _else_ you’d rather take out....I did see Philippa glancing your way the other day during tactical.”

“Phil?  She’s only interested since we both are from France.”

“Hmm.  And what about Alynna? She’s not from France and she was definitely eyeing you up.”  Beverly grinned at her friend.  Jean-Luc decided to turn the tables on his best friend as his hands snaked higher and massaged her thighs just above her knees.  Beverly tilted her head back and moaned and pushed her legs against his hands for more.  Her skirt had ridden up when she flopped down and she wondered briefly just how high Jean-Luc would let his hands go. How high did she _want_ his hands to go?  Jean-Luc cleared his throat.

“What about you?  I saw the way Donnie was looking at you.”  Beverly made a noise that could only be described as “pssht.”

“And there was Darek.”

“Yuck.”

“You know...Jack told me he wanted to take you out.”  Beverly let out a snort. “Jack Crusher?  Yeah, like I’d date Jack.  He probably has twelve different alien STDs by now.”

“Just saying, you have options...you don’t _have_ to go out with your best friend tonight if you don’t want to.”  He surprised himself and took his teasing slightly higher than he thought he would be willing to and his thumb brushed her upper thigh.  Beverly maintained eye contact ad bit her lip.  “Maybe I want to go out with my best friend.” 

“Maybe your best friend wants to take you out.” He countered, as he moved his hand even higher on her leg and brushed against her knickers where he could feel her heat and dampness.   

Beverly let out a low whimper and moved her hips, pressing her desire against his fingers.  Jean-Luc had never been so bold with her before, though there had been a few close calls in recent weeks.  Usually it was her seeing how far she could push him, so being on the receiving end of their teasing was something new for Beverly.  Jean-Luc’s fingers were just about to slide into her knickers when the door to their shared flat burst open.  Beverly caught a look of both relief and annoyance cross Jean-Luc’s face as he turned his head to the door and slid his hand back down her leg to rest on her knee. 

“Oops, sorry Johnny didn’t know you brought a girl home. You know, you really should just use your bedroom...” Corey trailed off when he noticed the girl half in Jean-Luc’s lap was Beverly. 

“Oh.  It’s just you. Sorry, Bev. I thought Johnny was finally getting lucky.”

Beverly only raised her eyebrows and stood up, straightening her skirt.  “Right. I’m going to get ready.  About an hour, Jean-Luc?”  Jean-Luc nodded.  Beverly leaned down and kissed Jean-Luc’s cheek before walking past Corey, swaying her hips on her way to her bedroom.

“Johnny, are you taking Beverly out?”

“Er....”

“Finally!”  A huge grin spread across Corey’s face.  Jean-Luc shook his head. “No, it’s not like that. Since everyone else is busy tonight, she asked me to take her dancing....and to dinner,” the last part he mumbled out.

“Hmm. And you don’t think if Bev only wanted a dance partner she wouldn’t have just gone out on her own or asked someone else?”

“Well...I was here.  And we were talking about not having plans.  I’m sure it means nothing.”

 _“Johnny._ Just kiss her already.  Better yet, make love to her.  Take her in your arms when you’re dancing and plant one on her!”

“ _Cortan!_ ”

“Ugh.  Johnny, we _all_ know how you feel about Beverly. It’s all over your face. Look, if you don’t do something about your feelings for her, you’ll lose her.  You know Jack’s interested in her.”

“Uhm...”

“I gotta get ready for my date with Marta.  Look, go out and have a good time with Bev. And if the moment strikes...kiss her.”

“Right.”  Truthfully, Jean-Luc wasn’t sure what would have happened if one of their flat mates hadn’t come in.  His fingers were dangerously close to...well....places that a best friend probably shouldn’t be placing his fingers.  Beverly hadn’t seemed to be complaining and in fact, seemed to want him to touch her, so maybe....

###

Jean-Luc stepped out of the shower stall and wrapped a towel around his waist before he started at his reflection in the sink.  He reached for the razor  and delicately ran it over his face, making sure he got all the stray whiskers.  He slapped on some after shave as Jack was coming into the bathroom to take a shower.  “Hot date tonight, Johnny?”

“Err....”

“Go get ‘er.”

Jean-Luc dressed with care.  He didn’t own much in the way of casual clothing appropriate for taking a girl out, but he hoped Beverly would appreciate the black trousers and green shirt he found in the back of his wardrobe.  His mother had given him the shirt before he left for the Academy, telling him every young man needed at least one nice shirt.  He silently thanked his Maman for her forethought. 

He still had a half an hour before Beverly wanted to go out, so he skipped out of the flat to the florist down the street and bought Beverly a bouquet of flowers – daisies, pale Vulcan roses, and Andorian tulips.  He hoped it wasn’t too much, but Beverly deserved them.

###

Beverly was prancing around the room she shared with Marta, while Marta looked on with amusement.  Five dresses had been tried on, looked at in the mirror, and discarded.  She didn’t have a lot of clothing until she came to the Academy, but since her arrival, she had discovered a love for getting dressed up.  She didn’t want to look too formal, but she didn’t want to look causal, either. Marta laughed.

“Bev, just pick a dress already!  You know you’re going to wow your date no matter what you wear.”

Beverly rolled her eyes at her roommate. “Oh sure. Says the one who has been steadily dating Corey ever since we all moved in together.” 

“Well, we can’t all find love where we live.”

Beverly smiled to herself. Did she love Jean-Luc?  Only one way to find out.   She finally settled on a long flowy blue halter necked dress.  She wouldn’t be able to wear a  bra due to the open back and plunging neckline, but she thought Jean-Luc might appreciate it.  She paired her dress with a pair of low heels, thinking about their almost equal height.

Jean-Luc softly knocked on her door just as Beverly was adding a pair of earrings to her ensemble.  When she opened the door, Jean-Luc’s breath caught in his throat.  “Bev.....”  He cleared his throat.  “You look lovely.  Beautiful. Uhm...these are for you?”  He held out the flowers and Beverly grinned as she accepted them.  “Thank you. They’re lovely. Let me put them in some water and we can go.  Did you pick a restaurant?”  Jean-Luc nodded, still not entirely able to find his voice.  Beverly giggled, and it was the sweetest sound to Jean-Luc’s ears.  “You look nice too,”  she said running a hand up his chest and lightly fingering the chest hair visible through the V of the shirt. 

Behind her, still lounging on her bed, Marta covered her mouth to conceal her gasp at learning Beverly’s date for the night was Jean-Luc.  Those two had been dancing around each other for ages, and it was about time they went out.  She returned her attention to the couple, and noticed Jean-Luc’s ears had started to go pink.

“Er, thanks.” Beverly tuned and shot a look at Marta before the bedroom door slid shut behind her.  Marta silently cheered on her friend, and hoped Jean-Luc wouldn’t be needing her bed later that night.

###

Beverly enjoyed dinner, even if Jean-Luc had scoffed at the syntheholic wine.  But he made her grin when he offered to get out a bottle from his stash when they got home.  After dinner, Beverly took Jean-Luc to a nightclub she knew had good music and a big dance floor and she dragged him out as soon as they got there.  Jean-Luc nervously placed a hand on her waist, and was surprised when his hand touched her bare back.  Beverly shivered under his touch.  His hands were warm as his other hand rested higher on her back. Beverly wrapped her arms around his neck and swayed to the music.  She rested her head on his shoulder and breathed in his musky smell, and his head dropped to rest on hers. It was a perfect moment....if they could only get past being  ‘just friends’.

They were best friends.  From the moment they met in their first year, Beverly and Jean-Luc had shared a special camaraderie with each other, having both come from rural villages, and when Jean-Luc and three of his friends wanted to rent a three-bedroom off-campus flat in their second year, it made perfect sense to invite Beverly and her roommate to join them. They were now in their third year of their studies,  and while Marta and Corey had managed to turn their friendship into a relationship, Beverly and Jean-Luc still hadn’t. 

They attended concerts together, regularly shared meals,  and if Beverly was at the library late at night studying, Jean-Luc would always meet her there to walk her home.  They held hands an exchanged a handful of kisses, but only as friends.  The incident earlier in the day was the second time they had come close to crossing the line -  the first time having been a few weeks prior when they had been playing a game called Twister Jack had found in his grandparent’s attic.  The game involved a large sheet filled with colored dots, and two dice – one with the colours, and one with body parts.  As you rolled, you had to move the body part to that color circle and Beverly had found her legs on either side of Jean-Luc’s theigh. Naturally, she had wanted to win and so she deliberately rubbed against him.  Jean-Luc had been startled, fallen over, and Beverly had won. 

Beverly slid a hand down to Jean-Luc’s chest and fingered his exposed skin.  Jean-Luc  ran his hands up and down her back, his fingers tangling in her hair.  Emboldened, Beverly slid her other hand down to Jean-Luc’s rear and after Jean-Luc jolted in shock, she let it there and gave him a squeeze.  Jean-Luc chuckled against her hair.  He lightly stroked his thumb against her spine, and leaned down and very softly kissed her.  A jolt akin to electricity went through Beverly and she kissed him back. 

Jean-Luc didn’t have a lot of experience when it came to women and sex.  He had lost his virginity fumbling in a dark barn with a girl from the village school, and since then he had only had two other partners, preferring the company of his best friend to racking up notches on his headboard like his roommate, Jack.  Beverly was hardly the more experienced one, having also lost her virginity in a barn with a local boy on Caldos.  When she arrived at the Academy, she had had a brief sexual encounter with another one of the doctor candidates, but she soon fell into her schoolwork and like she had told Jean-Luc, she just didn’t have time for dating and sex. 

But something told her she was about to make an exception. 


	2. Chapter 2

Dancing was an exquisite form of torture for the pair.  After the first tentative kiss, Jean-Luc found that he couldn’t keep his hands or lips off of his best friend and dance partner.  He kissed her ear, her neck, her bare shoulder, and his hands roamed up and down her back, revelling in the silky feel of her skin.  He was just lightly nipping at her throat when she let out a noise that almost sounded like a purr and he came undone.  He didn’t know what he was doing, but he knew he wanted more of it. 

“Do you....do you want to go home?” Beverly leaned forward and bit down on his ear, causing him to tug her in closer so she could feel what she was doing to him.  She whispered a breathy “yes” into his ear and he kissed her lips again before taking her hand and leading her off the dance floor. 

The walk back to their apartment was punctuated with kisses and lingering caresses and they both fumbled to enter the passcode to the apartment.  The tumbled in the door and their hands and lips were everywhere as Beverly nervously led Jean-Luc to her bedroom.  “Do you want me to get that wine?” 

Beverly smiled against his lips. “Sure.”  He pressed another kiss to her lips before disappearing and returning a minute later with a bottle, a corkscrew, and two glasses.  He put the wine on her desk and resumed kissing her.  Beverly reached for the bottom of his shirt and pulled it out from his trousers to slip her hands under it and across his back before she tugged off his shirt and tossed it to the floor.  Jean-Luc took in a ragged breath.  “Beverly, Beverly, Beverly.”  Beverly smiled. 

“Jean-Luc? I...ah....I don’t have a lot of experience....”  Jean-Luc grinned. “Me neither, but we can explore together.”  Beverly’s eyes widened. “Really?” 

“Bev, I’ve only been with three girls.  Once was when I was 16, and the other two were in my first year, before I...well, before I met you.” Beverly blushed.  “You have one more than me,” she whispered.  Jean-Luc nipped at her lip.  “I’m sorry I have to ask you this....but do you have a suppressor?”  She nodded. “Me too.”   Fertility suppressors were standard but not mandatory for all cadets, though it was expected if you were engaging in sexual activity you would have one. Jean-Luc was slightly surprised and also a bit relieved Beverly had one.  Not that he worried his would have failed, but he didn’t think either of them was ready to have a child.  He wistfully smiled and thought _but maybe someday..._ He knew he loved her as his best friend, and h knew now that he was _in_ love with her.  He just didn’t know if it was too soon to tell her.

“You’re a million miles away, Jean-Luc! Should I be worried?” 

“No, sorry Bev.  My mind...well, it doesn’t matter.”  He kissed her again and his fingers went to the delicate knot at the back of her neck holding her dress up. “May I?”  Beverly nodded. 

The front of the dress fell forward, revealing Beverly’s breasts.  Jean-Luc was spellbound at the sight, and reached out a hand to tenderly palm one of her breasts.  Beverly shivered. “Cold?”

“No.  It...feels nice. Don’t stop.”  He brushed his thumbs over her nipples and she took in a sharp breath as her nipples hardened under his touch.  Jean-Luc ducked his head and took one delicate nipple into his mouth and the feeling of his mouth on her breast caused a rush of sensations for Beverly.  She wanted more, she wanted him to stop, she didn’t know what she wanted.  Jean-Luc gently sucked and when he tugged on her nipples with his teeth, Beverly moaned and clasped his head to her chest.  “Jean-Luc...it hurts...but...I like it.”  He let go of her nipple and gazed into her eyes. “Should I stop?” 

“No, please...don’t stop.”  He switched to her other breast and lavished the same attention on it he afforded the other one and Beverly could only whimper.  She wanted more, but she didn’t know what to do, so she dragged her fingernails down Jean-Luc’s back and he bit her nipple hard out of shock.  The tiny jolt that went through her felt amazing and shot desire straight to her core.  “Jean-Luc,” she gasped out. “There’s a little clasp...on the back of the skirt...please....”  Jean-Luc didn’t break his contact with her breasts as his hands fumbled behind for the small clasp holding the skirt up . Beverly reached for Jean-Luc’s trousers and easily popped the button and shoved them down his hips to his knees.  Her hand briefly made contact with his penis through his shorts and Jean-Luc stilled for a moment before kicking off his shoes so he could step out of his trousers. 

When Jean-Luc finally found the clasp for the skirt and the dress fell to the floor, Jean-Luc’s breath was taken away.  “Beverly....you are beautiful.”  She blushed, and Jean-Luc grinned when it reached her chest.  “You, ah, aren’t so bad yourself,” she said, eying him.  Jean-Luc wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her as he moved them closer to the bed.  Beverly let herself fall back onto her small bed and pulled him with her as they continued to kiss and explore each other’s bodies with their hands and lips. 

Jean-Luc’s hand went between Beverly’s legs and stroked her through her knickers and she moaned and bucked her hips.  Jean-Luc kissed her. “Should we finish what we started earlier?”  Beverly nodded and raised her hips so he could slide her knickers down.  Jean-Luc pulled back to look at his best friend, now fully naked.  “You are exquisite. _Magnifique. Ma belle femme._ ”  Beverly lowered her eyes.  Over the past two years of her friendship with Jean-Luc, and after one group trip to La Barre, Beverly had started to learn French.  She knew Jean-Luc had just called her _his_ beautiful woman.  Not a beautiful woman. _His._    Beverly found her voice and gently guided Jean-Luc’s fingers between her auburn curls.  “Jean-Luc, _tu es mon amour_.” Jean-Luc crushed his lips against hers as he slid a finger inside.  “Beverly, _je’taime. je t'aime tellement_ ”  Beverly’s eyes widened.  “Oh, Jean-Luc...I love you too.” 

Beverly cried out as an orgasm crashed over her. She had never experienced anything like this with a partner before,  only ever being able to bring herself through masturbation.  “Jean-Luc, will you make love to me?”  Jean-Luc reached for his shorts and removed them.  “Yes,  yes my love.  I will make love with you.” 

There was more awkward fumbling and giggling as they figured out how to fit themselves together.  When Jean-Luc entered her finally, she gasped. “Are you ok?”  She nodded, with tears in her eyes. “Jean-Luc...this is only my third time...you are...bigger than the others.”  Jean-Luc allowed himself a smug smile while he stilled his movements until she was used to having him inside her.  When Beverly finally started moving her hips against his, Jean-Luc had to hold himself back.  He wanted to make this last as long as he could, and he wanted it to be a good experience for Beverly...especially since he didn’t intend for this to be their only time together. 

When it finally became too much for him, he leaned down and kissed her deeply. “Beverly, my love, I don’t think I can last much longer.  I’m sorry.  You’re just so...amazing.” 

Beverly kissed him back. “It’s ok, my love.   I want you to,” and to prove her point, Beverly thrust her hips up against him.  He came with a shuddering cry and fell against her, finding her lips with his once again.  Beverly held him close as he withdrew and collapsed next to her on the narrow bed.  He gathered her into his arms and kissed the top of her head.  “I meant what I said.  I love you.”  Beverly smiled and climbed over Jean-Luc to get out of the bed. “I love you too.  Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to...ah....”  she gestured below her waist.  Jean-Luc nodded.  “I’ll be here.” 

While Beverly was in the bathroom cleaning herself up, Jean-Luc stood and opened the bottle of wine he had brought in.  When Beverly emerged, she was wearing a short nightgown, and Jean-Luc blushed, realising he was still naked.  Beverly grinned and opened one of her dresser drawers and pulled out a pair of Jean-Luc’s sleep shorts and handed them to him with a blush.  “How did you...when did you?”

“I’ve, ah, had them for a while.  They’re really quite comfortable.”

“I knew I wasn’t imagining things when I thought I had lost a pair.  I suppose you have my missing socks too?”

“Guilty.”  Jean-Luc grinned at his best friend, now lover... _girlfriend?_ and accepted his pyjamas from her.  “I opened the wine.  I thought maybe...we might like to toast?” 

“I’d like that.”  Jean-Luc passed her a glass and cleared his throat.  “ _Pour Beverly, l'amour de ma vie._ ” 

“Do you mean it?”

“Yes.”

“Jean-Luc, _gràdh mo bheatha_.”

“Was that Scottish?” Beverly nodded.  “We spoke it a little on Caldos.”

“Hmm, I’ll have to try to learn some since you started learning French.”  He clinked his glass against hers and drank.  He sat on the edge of her bed and pulled her into his arms.  “Beverly....I know this is probably a bit backwards sounding, but....I don’t want this to be for one night and I don’t want this to be casual.  I’ve loved you since the minute I met you, and I fell in love with you the more I spent time with you. I know you said you didn’t have time for a relationship, but I don’t want us to be just about sex.  Will you....be my....girlfriend?  I know it’s such a simple word, but it means so much.” 

Beverly tilted her head and kissed him. “Only if you’ll be my boyfriend.” 

“I do believe that’s how this works.”  Beverly grinned.  “Maybe we need to...ah...seal the deal?”  Beverly pulled off her nightgown.  Jean-Luc groaned, but felt himself twitching.  He laid down on Beverly’s bed and pulled her on top of him.  “How about you drive this time?”

###

When Jean-Luc woke in the morning, streaks of sun were peeking in through the gap in the curtain and Beverly’s bedroom door was slowly being opened.  Jean-Luc turned a lazy eye to the door and made sure they were both covered as he watched Marta sneak in, clad in Corey’s dressing gown.  Marta noticed her bed was empty and glanced over at Beverly’s bed, where Beverly was ensconced in Jean-Luc’s arms.  Jean-Luc smiled at their friend.  Marta inclined her head. “Are you?”

“Yes.  Yes we are.” Jean-Luc tightened his grip on Beverly. 

“Good. I, ah, just came to get some clothes.  I’ll...leave you to it.”

“Thanks Marta.”

When the door shut, Beverly opened her eyes and smiled when she realised she was still in Jean-Luc’s arms.  “I heard the door. I thought you...”

“No.  Never. It was only Marta coming to get her clothing.”

“Ugh. Why didn’t she just use the replicator in Corey’s room?” Jean-Luc grinned at his girlfriend. “Probably because she thought I would be sleeping in her bed in my pyjamas, not naked in yours!”

“I guess,” Beverly twined her fingers with Jean-Luc’s and marvelled at the way their fingers fit together.  It wasn’t as if she had never held his hand, but somehow it felt different now.  “Do you think she’ll tell Corey?”

“Yeah.  You don’t think we could hide this from our friends, do you...wait, Bev, do you want to hide this from them?”

“No, I guess not,”  Beverly paused a minute and then gave Jean-Luc a saucy grin. “I was just hoping we would get to have this just for us for a little while.”

“I’m sure they’ll leave us alone.”  Jean-Luc’s stomach rumbled and Beverly giggled.  “Guess we should go out into the kitchen.”  Beverly reluctantly stretched. “Shower with me?”

Their shower was comical.  The tiny stalls were most definitely not designed for two, and when they tried making love in the shower Beverly slipped and almost banged her head . “Hmm. Maybe we should just wash?”  Jean-Luc chuckled, but kissed Beverly before rinsing himself off. “I’m done.  I’ll leave you to it.”

Jean-Luc went back into Beverly’s bedroom and paused.  He couldn’t exactly walk back to his own room clad in a towel.  Well, he _could_ , but Jack might be curious as to why he hadn’t just showered in their bathroom.  So Jean-Luc went up to the replicator in Beverly and Marta’s room and replicated a simple casual shirt, trousers, and boxers.  Beverly was coming out of the bathroom as Jean-Luc was gathering his clothing.  “Just toss it in the laundry. We all live together, so it’s not like it would be weird for your clothing to be with mine... and I wouldn’t want you to lose that shirt.  I really liked it.”

“Thank Maman. She got it for me.”

“I will.”  Beverly quickly threw on a dress and finger combed her hair. “So...breakfast?”

“Breakfast.”

 


	3. Chapter 3

When they emerged, Marta and Corey were already in the shared kitchen, drinking coffee and eating cereal at the table.

“Good morning.... _lovebirds,_ ” Corey greeted his friends.

“Corey....please.  Just...let us have this to ourselves for a bit?”

“Sorry, Johnny...Bev.”  Beverly smiled at her friend.  Jean-Luc headed for the replicator. “Two Coffees, black. Plate of scrambled eggs. 2 slices of wholemeal toast. Bacon.”  He glanced over at Beverly and she nodded.  “And another of the same.”  The technology whirled to life and their breakfast soon appeared.

“Not your usual choice, Jean-Luc.”

“Mm. I have wrestling this afternoon.  Needed the protein.” 

“Oh,”  Beverly frowned, having hoped they would get to spend the weekend together. “Match or practice?” 

“Practice.  You can come along if you want. A lot of the lads bring their girlfriends.”  Corey raised his eyebrows at his friend and Beverly blushed, but she liked being called his girlfriend.  She shyly nodded.

“I was going to go for a run this morning, too, but....ah, I don’t _have_ to....I wasn’t... that is...I planned on it before we....” he glanced over at Corey and Marta and reached for Beverly’s hand. “Well, you know.”

Beverly grinned. “I think you should go running.  Maybe I’ll go for a run, too.  I mean, I know you’ll be faster than me, but we could run together?” 

“Sure, I’d like that.”  Jean-Luc glanced over at his bedroom door. It was still closed, which was a sure sign Jack was still in there with whoever he brought home last night.  He sighed. He would have to go in to get his running gear and wrestling gear regardless.  He mopped his plate with his toast and crammed it into his mouth.  “So, who did Jack bring home last night?”

“I don’t know.  The bedroom door was closed by the time Marta and I got home.”  Jean-Luc sighed.  “Well, wish me luck. I need my running gear.”

Jean-Luc entered the room he shared with Jack and sighed.  Jack and his date were naked on top of the covers. His date woke up and instead of being embarrassed at being caught naked, she spread her legs wide and winked at Jean-Luc.  He turned away in disgust.  “Jack?  I just came in to get  my gym gear.”

“Fine, Johnny, whatever.  Have you met Odessa? Odessa, this is Johnny.  He’s a prude.”

“I am not!” 

“Bet you’re avoiding looking at Odessa.” 

“Yes, but that doesn’t make me a prude!” Jean-Luc located his gym bag and after making sure it had running gear and his wrestling gear, he backed out of the room. “See you later, Jack. Nice to meet you, Odessa.”

Jean-Luc shook his head as he left his bedroom.  “So, who is she?”

“Her name is Odessa.  And she’s very...forward.  Spread her legs wide on display for me.”  Beverly frowned. “You didn’t look, did you?”

“Of course not, my love.  But then Jack called me a prude.”  Corey laughed.  “If he only knew....anyway, I’m off.  I’ll see you at wrestling, Johnny.”

“See you, Corey. Marta, any plans for today?”  Marta grimaced. “Studying.  I’m falling behind in stellar cartography.”  Beverly gave her roommate a sympathetic look. “I’m not doing so hot in it, either. Want to study together?” 

“Aren’t you going running with Johnny?”  Beverly scoffed. “Jean-Luc only said yes out of politeness. I would only hold him back.  Are you going to watch Corey at wrestling practice?”  Marta nodded.  “Then, it’s settled. Jean-Luc will go on his run and we’ll meet the boys at wrestling after we study.” 

Jean-Luc pretended to pout, but Beverly went over and kissed him.  “Did you _really_ want me to go with you?”

“I wasn’t going to say no when you offered, but I didn’t think you were going to enjoy it.”

“Hmm.” Marta laughed at her two friends.  “You’ve only been together for one day and you two act more like a couple than Corey and me.”  Beverly laughed. “Jean-Luc and I are just old souls.”

“Well, I can tell you two belong together.”  Jean-Luc blushed.  “Right then, ladies. I’m going to borrow your bedroom to get changed into my running gear.  See you both when I get back?”  Marta nodded, and Beverly kissed Jean-Luc again.  “Enjoy your run.”

###

While Jean-Luc was on his run, he happened to run past a local theatre and noticed they were putting on a performance of _Pygmalion_.  He remembered it was one of Beverly’s favourite plays, so he purchased two tickets for that evening’s performance, then panicked when he realised he only had one nice shirt and it had just gone into the laundry.  He would have to check his replicator credits when he got back and he hoped he had enough in his sundry items account to get another shirt. 

After his run, he returned to the flat and his bedroom door was still shut, but Beverly and Marta were busy studying in the living room and waved him towards their shower, especially after he tried to insert himself between them on the sofa.  Beverly wrinkled her nose and told him she loved him, but he stunk, and Marta merely ordered him to take a shower.  Apparently, Jack and his date had still not emerged from the bedroom. 

When Jean-Luc was clean, he decided to join the girl’s studying. After all, he was in the same Stellar Cartography class they were, although he was passing it with flying colours.  His Achilles heel was Organic Chemistry.  He settled in on the sofa and Beverly automatically curled against him.  It was a position they were used to as best friends, but somehow it felt different knowing she was now his girlfriend.  He dropped a kiss on her head and Marta made a face. “Ugh. You guys.  Johnny, if you’re going to be that mushy, please leave.”

“Come on, I had to put up with you and Corey when you first got together.  We _all_ had to put up with it.”  Marta rolled her eyes. “Fine, but I think if you keep that up, Walker will know the instant he comes home.”  Jean-Luc shrugged.  “We’re not hiding our relationship. We’re just not...shouting it from the rooftop.”

Jack and his date finally emerged from the bedroom and greeted the group studying.  Typical Jack took no notice of Beverly and Jean-Luc’s position, just told Jean-Luc he wouldn’t be home that night before gulping down a coffee and escorting Odessa home.  When they left,  Marta and Beverly were snickering.

“What’s so funny?”

“Do you know who she is?”

“Er...no?  Do we have class with her?” 

“She’s like the Academy bicycle.”  Marta tried to explain.  Jean-Luc looked at her puzzled. “She’s the what?” 

“Johnny, you know....she’s the Academy bicycle...everyone has had a ride?”  Jean-Luc made a face.  “Is she a prostitute?” 

“No, I don’t think so.  She just...sleeps around. Word has it she’s trying to sleep with every third year male cadet.”  Jean-Luc raised his eyebrows. 

“Well, that would explain her displaying herself to me.” Jean-Luc shuddered.  “Only Jack. Well, good luck to him if he thinks he can have a relationship with her.” 

“She’s tried to have it off with Corey a few times, so be careful.  If she’s going to hang around here for a while, you never know what she might try.”

Jean-Luc wrapped an arm around Beverly and kissed her. “Marta, I assure you, I have no intentions on running around on Beverly.”

“Mm. Good. I would hate to have to hurt you.”

After wrestling practice, where Beverly hadn’t realised just how much of a turn on it could be, Jean-Luc presented Beverly with the tickets to the play and she squealed.  “Oh, I’ve been wanting to go! You are amazing.” 

“Hmm. And maybe you might like to stay with me tonight?  Seems Jack won’t be home....”

“Yes.  Although, I think we might have to set some boundaries during the school week.  I don’t want to fall behind in my classes, but  I can see it happening easily with you.  I love you.”

“I love you, too. The show is at 1900.  I thought dinner first?” 

###

Over dinner, the two discussed their blossoming relationship.  “What if we spend Friday and Saturday nights together and then during the school week, we do what we usually do?”  Jean-Luc frowned. “Well, I guess if that’s what you want...” he reached across the table and clasped her hand. “Not really, but I think we might have to.  I’ve avoided having a relationship because I’m afraid I would lose myself in the relationship...and I’m with you now....Jean-Luc, I’ve had feelings for you for such a long time.”

“Beverly, I won’t let you lose yourself.  We’ll try it your way for now. We already eat most our meals together during the week...maybe I could walk you to your classes?”

“As long as it won’t make you late for yours.”  Jean-Luc leaned over the small table and kissed her gently.  “I promise.”

Jean-Luc kept watching Beverly more than he was watching the play.  Beverly mouthed some of the words and sat forward in her seat and it was so enthralling to watch her enjoy the performance that Jean-Luc couldn’t help but stroke the hand he held in his.  Beverly turned to him, smiled, mouthed “thank you”, and then turned back to the play. 

After the play, Beverly was buzzing. “I wish I had been in the production. I love acting.”

“Why didn’t you audition?”

“With what time?  Between pre-med, command, dancing, and now dating you, I don’t think I would have time.”

“Beverly, if you really want to be in a play, you should audition.  Forget about me,”  Beverly’s eyes filled with tears and she turned to walk away. “ _Non, non,_ _mon Coeur, tu m’as mal compris! Reviens!_ “ he pulled Beverly into his arms and he softly kissed her. “What I meant was don’t let our relationship get in the way of the things you want to do.  We can fit us around everything.”

“Well, if you’re sure.” Beverly snorted. “You reverted to French.”

“Sorry.”  Beverly giggled. “It’s fine.  You sound so...passionate when you speak French.”  Jean-Luc wiggled his eyebrows at his girlfriend. “I _am_ passionate when it comes to you. Should I speak French to you in bed?”

“You did last night!”

“I did? I hadn’t even noticed.  You must bring it out in me...anyway,  My opinion doesn’t matter, Bev. What do you want to do?”

“I’d really like to audition for the next performance. “

“Then it’s settled. You’ll audition and when you make it into the cast, we’ll adjust to accommodate it.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me!”  Jean-Luc leaned in and whispered French nothings into her ear before biting it gently. “Do you want to go home?”

_“Oui.”_

###

Jack stumbled into the flat drunk at 3 in the morning.  He thought he was going to go home with M’lise, but when she found out he had slept with Odessa the night before, she had kicked him out of her dorm.  He found himself in the local bar, but after having no luck picking up anyone, and with Odessa not answering her comm, he decided to go home.  It wasn’t like Johnny would be with a girl in their room, anyway.  He didn’t date.

Jack stumbled into the room he shared with Jean-Luc, removed all of his clothing and collapsed spread-eagle on the bed. 

Beverly woke up before Jean-Luc and decided she would wake up Jean-Luc.  She straddled him and tickled his chest with her hair until he opened his eyes.  “Hello,”  he murmured as her lips met his.  “Hi.”  Beverly moved her hips against his and he groaned into her hair.  “Mmm, Bev...” Beverly leaned down and whispered in his ear “I want you.”  Jean-Luc grinned and lifted her by her hips so she could guide him into her.  “You can have me, my love.” 

Neither one of them had bothered looking over at Jack’s bed because as far as they knew, Jack wasn’t supposed to be there.  Jack opened his eyes and glanced over at his roommate’s bed and saw a girl with long red hair bouncing up and down on him and he couldn’t help himself. “Go Johnny!” 

Beverly shrieked and Jean-Luc moaned in pain as Beverly hurried off of him to cover herself with the blanket, kneeing Jean-Luc in the process. “Jean-Luc, are you okay? I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.  Jack startled me.”   Beverly reached a hand down and gently pried his hands away from his crotch.  “Did I hurt you?”

 “I’ll be fine. Are you ok?”

“Yeah.” She kissed him and settled in next to him, with the covers firmly pulled up to her armpits. 

Jack slowly became more awake.  “Bev?  Is that you?  And you’re...screwing....Johnny?” 

“I...ah....” 

“Jack, Beverly and I are dating. Beverly is my girlfriend.”  Jean-Luc grinned at his friend as he wrapped his arm around Beverly.

“When did that happen?”  Beverly looked over at Jack and quickly turned away.  Jean-Luc looked over and realised Jack was naked.  “Uh, Jack? You might want to cover up...”

“It’s my room!”  Jean-Luc rolled his eyes.  He and Jack had had words on more than one occasion over Jack choosing to sleep naked.  It wasn’t that Jean-Luc cared about seeing his friend nude, he often came out of the bathroom after a shower nude himself, it was just that Jack seemed to always be naked.  “Jack, Bev doesn’t want to see you naked.” 

“Why not?  I’m just as attractive as you.”  Beverly snorted.  “Fine!”  Jack grabbed his discarded underwear and shoved them on. “Better?”

“Uhm....”   Jean-Luc noticed Beverly’s discomfort and he slid out of bed and went to his dresser drawer.  He tossed one of his shirts to Beverly and threw on the matching shorts.  “I expect to get that shirt back later.”  Beverly smirked. “Fat chance.  Do you see my knickers anywhere?”  Jean-Luc peered around the bed. “Found them.”  He tossed them to Beverly and she shoved them on under the covers. 

“Are you two done?  You know, Bev, I wouldn’t mind seeing you naked...”  Beverly threw Jean-Luc’s pillow at him.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oral sex (F/M) 
> 
> Tiny bit of M/M and talk about F/M/M. Next Chapter will have some, but not much as M/M isn't anything I'm familiar with.

Beverly was lying on her stomach on Jean-Luc’s bed, naked, while he gave her a back massage. She had had a very tough exam in Exobiology and the two weeks of hitting her books hard had affected her shoulders and back.  Jean-Luc wanted to take all the tension away from her, and so he thought he would try giving her a massage...which was hard when your partner was pre-med and had taken a course in massage therapy.  But she had given him a massage after Donnie Vargo had slammed him into the mats at practice the week before, so it was only fair he returned the favour. 

Jean-Luc pressed into her spine as he worked his hands down Beverly’s back and she let out a moan.  “Jean-Luc,  that feels so good.”  Jean-Luc ducked his head down and placed a kiss on Beverly’s back, and then kissed his way down to her pert bottom.  Years of dancing had given her muscular legs and a very shapely rear.  Jean-Luc ran his tongue along Beverly’s bottom.  Beverly turned her head “Jean-Luc, what are you doing?”

“Sorry.  You just look so delicious.”  Beverly grinned and rolled over.  Jean-Luc placed a kiss on her thigh.  They had been dating for the past month, and enjoyed exploring each other’s bodies, but the one thing Jean-Luc wanted to do was bring her to orgasm with his tongue. He knew, from schoolyard talk, that it was very enjoyable for the woman.  “Beverly....can I...can I taste you?” 

“I...don’t know.”  Jean-Luc moved to the head of the bed and stretched out next to Beverly and kissed her cheek.  “Beverly...I love you.  I don’t expect you to return the favour.  I just...want to taste you.”  Beverly rolled over to face Jean-Luc  and gently kissed him.  “I’m scared. What if....what if I taste awful and you hate it...hate me?”

“Oh, Beverly...I could never hate you.”  He held her close and let his hand stray to her breast, where he gave a squeeze. “I love you.  And if you really don’t want me to, we won’t.”

“Have you ever had your _verge_ sucked?”  Jean-Luc grinned at her use of French slang. “Uhm....”

“It’s okay if you did. You have more experience than me.”  Jean-Luc took a deep breath.  “We want to be honest with each other, right?”  She nodded. “And nothing will change how you feel about me?” 

“No, of course not. Jean-Luc, I love you.” 

“Ok,” he took a deep breath. “When I was fifteen, my friend wanted to know what it felt like, so we, erm, took turns.”  Beverly’s mouth fell open. “You mean, _you’ve_ sucked a penis?!”  Jean-Luc closed his eyes.  “Yes. I....I understand if you can’t be with me anymore.”  Beverly laughed.

“Well, I might not have had oral sex, but Jean-Luc, when I was fourteen, my best friend and I fingered each other because we wanted to know what it felt like.” 

“Did you experiment with kissing too?”

“Uh-huh.  Hey, what do you call French kissing in France?”

“Erm...kissing?”  Beverly giggled “No, I mean when you use tongues.” 

“Oh!  _Un baiser amoureux_.”

“Yeah.  Amarissa and I did a lot of that.”  Jean-Luc chuckled and kissed her, slipping his tongue in her mouth.  When he broke the kiss, he grinned at her. “Remind me to thank Amarissa if I ever meet her!”

“Oh, you!”  Beverly lightly pushed Jean-Luc. 

“So now that I’ve told you my deepest secret, I think I deserve to taste you, don’t you?”  Beverly laughed. “Persistent, aren’t you?” She took a deep breath.  “Yes.  But...you’ll stop if I don’t like it? And if it tastes bad...you’ll tell me?”  Jean-Luc kissed her once more.  “Yes, love, I promise.” 

Jean-Luc slid down her body, tweaking and licking her nipples on his way down and settled between her legs.  “Relax, Bev.  I’ve never done this before, so you’ll have to tell me if it feels good....”  Jean-Luc ran through everything he had ever read in the dirty magazines  he and Louis had stolen from their older brothers and gently, reverently, parted Beverly’s folds.  He lowered his nose and inhaled her unique bouquet and breathed cool air on her.  Beverly shivered and her leg twitched.  Jean-Luc slowly stuck his tongue out and gently licked.  Beverly laughed. “Hey, that tickles.” 

“Sorry.”

“No, it’s nice. Keep going.”  Jean-Luc moved her legs over his shoulders and shuffled a hand under her to lift her bottom.  He licked her again, and slipped a finger inside.  He used his finger and tongue on her until she was writhing and gasping out his name.  When his tongue touched her sensitive nub, Beverly cried out and raised her hips.  Encouraged, Jean-Luc flicked his tongue against her clit. 

Beverly was done.  She had no idea it would feel so good and she reached down to hold Jean-Luc’s head against her as he lapped and sucked and she rose to new heights.  When her final orgasm racked over her, she ran her hands through Jean-Luc’s hair and stroked his bald spot on top.  “Amazing,” she managed to get out.  Jean-Luc chuckled against her, causing her to spasm again and he gently moved her legs off his shoulders.  He wiped his mouth on the blanket and moved back to the head of the bed, where Beverly pulled him in for a deep kiss.  “You taste like me.”

“Sorry.”

“No...it wasn’t bad.  I mean, I don’t think I want to go lick a girl’s carpet or anything like that, but I don’t mind tasting me on you.”

“ _Lick a girl’s carpet_?  Really, Bev.”

“What?  That’s what the boys used to call it on Caldos...” 

“I see.”  Jean-Luc pulled the blanket back up over them and led Beverlys head to his chest.  “I like the way you taste. I hope you let me do that again.”

“Um...Yes.  Please.  As often as you want! I....” Beverly blushed.

“Liked it that much?”  Beverly nodded. “Good. Because I liked doing it, too.”

###

Jean-Luc came out of his bedroom holding a PADD and his Organic Chemistry textbook.  “Hey Bev?” Beverly looked up from where she was studying on the sofa. “Yeah?”

“How are you doing in OChem?” 

“Acing it.  Why, hon?”  Jean-Luc rolled his eyes. “Hon?” 

“Shut up, I’m trying out something new.” 

“Right.  Anyway, _hon_ , can you help me prepare for the exam? I’m, uh, failing. Quite spectacularly.” 

“Pull up a cushion.”  Jean-Luc grinned and jumped over the back of the sofa and kissed Beverly.  “Hm. No kissing until later. Studying first.”

“How about a kiss when I get something right?” 

“Well, if you’re failing, you might not get many!”  Beverly stuck out her tongue .

“Cheeky.” 

The two studied for nearly an hour before they completely abandoned their books in favour of making out on the sofa.  Jean-Luc had his fingers tangled in Beverly’s hair and Beverly’s hands had crept up the back of Jean-Luc’s shirt when a throat was cleared behind them.  They jumped apart and Walker let out a hearty laugh.  

“You know, for two people who wanted to keep their relationship private, I’ve managed to walk in on you multiple times.” 

“We’re studying OChem.”

“OChem? Looked like human biology to me....” Beverly swatted Walker with her PADD. “We may have gotten...distracted.”  Walker smirked at his friends. “So that’s what you’re calling it.” 

“Walker, I need to pass this exam on Friday.  If I don’t, I’m done. Washed out.  Beverly was giving me...encouragement when I remembered something.”  Walker patted his friend on his shoulder. “Let me get my books. Can I join you two?  Between Bev and me, we’ll have you passing with flying colours.” 

“Thanks, Walker.” 

“But, uh...I’m not kissing you.”

It took the trio four more hours of non-stop studying with only small breaks for tea and snacks before Jean-Luc was able to answer all of the questions on the practice exam.  Beverly leaned over and gave Jean-Luc a long slow kiss, heedless of Walker sitting on the other side of Jean-Luc.”I knew you would get it.” Jean-Luc returned the kiss. “Thanks for your help, _hon.”_ Beverly laughed. “No, I don’t think I like hon anymore. I’ll find something to call you.”

“Hey, what about me? I helped, to!” 

“Hmm. Would you like a kiss, Wally?” Beverly winked.  “Uh...yeah.....I do....” 

“Close your eyes.”

“Umm....Ok.”  Jean-Luc leaned over and pecked his friend on the lips while Beverly concealed her giggles. “Aw, Bev, is that all I get?”  Jean-Luc turned to his girlfriend and she egged him on, so Jean-Luc touched his lips to Walker’s and probed at his mouth with his tongue.  When Walker tried to deepen the kiss, Jean-Luc let him before breaking it off. Beverly whispered “Open your eyes, Wally.”

Walker slowly opened his eyes and was staring into not the bright blue eyes of Beverly, but the stormy hazel ones of his best friends.”Ahh!  Johnny!  What the hell?!”

“You didn’t specify you wanted Beverly to kiss you.” 

“Ugh.  You guys are weird...and Johnny, you’re a really good kisser. Bev’s a lucky lady.”

“Hmm. Don’t I know it.”  Beverly stood up and stretched.  “Ok, I have play rehearsal.  See you both later.” Jean-Luc nodded and she leaned down to give him a lingering kiss. “Dinner later?”

“Count on it. Want me to walk you there?”

“Nah, but pick me up at 2100?”  Jean-Luc nodded. “I’ll be there.”

Once Beverly had left, Walker turned to Jean-Luc. “Uh...Johnny....you’re not into men, are you?”  Jean-Luc blushed. “Er..no...not really...why?”

“But you kissed me?”

“Ah,  I was just fooling around, Walker.  I’m in love with Beverly.” 

“Oh.” Jean-Luc thought he detected sadness behind Walker’s words.  “Why did you ask?”

“No reason.  I...ah...Promise you won’t tell Corey or Jack or Marta?”  Jean-Luc nodded.  “What about Bev?” 

“Nah, you can tell her.  Johnny...I....ah....liked your kiss.  I thought it was Bev and I felt so guilty because it was making me hard, and then when it was you....”

“I see.” Jean-Luc let out a deep breath. He didn’t know if he should tell Walker about his experience with Louis when he was younger or not.  It wouldn’t change anything . He was in love with Beverly, and wouldn’t do anything to jeopardise it. “Walker...I’m sorry if I accidentally led you on with our little prank.   I’m with Beverly...and I love her.” 

“Yeah.  I figured. But how do I know if I like men instead of women?”  Jean-Luc ran his hand over his head, and noticed his smooth spot was getting larger. “Uh...I guess you just have to experiment....with _available_ men, mind you.” 

“But how would I know if they...”

“I don’t know, Walker.  I’m sorry.  But maybe try going to one of those bars that caters to a non-binary lifestyle?  I think that’s what it’s called.  I’m really not sure.  Wal, do you want to come to dinner with Bev and I tonight and talk this over with her?” 

“Ok.  Where are you going?”

“Bev has practice until 2100, so should we say our usual diner at 2200?  We’ll get a booth in the corner, just the three of us.”

“Thanks, Johnny.”  Jean-Luc smiled at his friend. “No problem, Wal.”

###

“Wally said what?”  Jean-Luc took Beverly’s bag from her shoulder and twined his hands in hers. “He said when I kissed him, it turned him on, and now he thinks he likes men.”

“Oh.  Do you think he likes men?”  Jean-Luc shrugged. “I guess it’s a possibility, but he might just be curious.”

“Did you tell him about Louis?”

“No.  I, ah, wanted to talk to you first.” 

“Oh. Maybe we should ask Walter to join us.”  Jean-Luc blushed. “ _Beverly!”_

“What?  Hey, you blushed.  That means you _had_ thought about it.”

“I...ah....I love you?”  Beverly stopped in the middle of the footpath and turned to kiss him.  “I love you too, Jean-Luc.  I think we should offer it to Walker...but...just once, mind you. I don’t want to permanently share you.”

“Hm.  Will Walker...would you sleep with him?”

“Doubtful. Not if he’s interested in men!  Would you?”

“No.  I...ah, don’t think I would let it go that far.  Sex is reserved for you.”  Beverly smugly smiled. “Good.  But it’s settled then? We’ll offer to make out with Walker?”

“Yes, love, if that’s what you want to do.”

“I only want to help him....”

“I know,”  Jean-Luc held her in his arms in the middle of the quad and deeply kissed her. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote, erased, re-wrote, consulted one of my muses, then had Word take a crap and lose two pages...so I had to re-write again so it's slightly shorter than I would have liked..but I think I'm satisfied with this chapter. As I said in the previous chapter, a tiny bit of M/M and F/M/M, but it's nothing more than kissing because this is a P/C fluff piece. 
> 
> Oh, and the club the go to is basically a mix of a gay bar called the Tally-Ho I used to frequent, a fetish club I've long since forgotten the name of, and a club called X21.

Jean-Luc was standing under the shower spray after a long and demanding wrestling meet.  He managed to pin his opponent and won the match, but it had taken ages and he just wanted a long, hot shower.  He wondered where Beverly was.  She usually came to all of his meets, even before they started dating, but when he had looked into the crowd, he didn’t see her familiar mane of red. 

The bathroom door slid open and he assumed it was Jack, so he ignored it.   To his surprise,  the shower curtain slid open and Beverly stepped into the small cubicle.  She wordlessly kissed him, then slid her hands down his body and lowered herself to her knees, with her feet sticking out of the shower stall. 

“Beverly?”  Beverly, still silent, reached a hand out and stroked his penis.  “Bev, love, what are you doing?”  Beverly swirled her tongue around his penis and he gasped before he reached out a hand to her shoulder. “Bev...you know I don’t expect you to do this....”  Beverly looked up at him.

“I know, but if we’re going to make out with Walker tonight, I wanted you to have this to think of...” Beverly mentally prepared herself for what she was going to do. She had read a few articles and was eager to show Jean-Luc what she had learned, but she had never done this before so she was nervous as she took him in as far as he would go.  Jean-Luc cried out and resisted the urge to thrust against her.  He knew this was her first time, and he didn’t want to hurt her, but it felt amazing.  He held her head and gently and stroked her hair.  “Oh, Beverly....” 

Jean-Luc was getting close, and he wanted to give Beverly time if she wanted him to withdraw so he gently tapped her shoulder. “Beverly...I’m going to...if you want me to withdraw...If you don’t want....” Beverly only raised her eyebrows as his climax rose over him.  With a last gasp he came in her mouth.  Beverly choked and a bit dribbled out of her mouth, but she soon got in control of herself and managed to swallow.  She gently pulled her lips away and grinned up at him and Jean-Luc reached for her arms and pulled her up to kiss her. He didn’t care that her lips tasted like his salty semen.

“Was that....ok?”  Jean-Luc grinned at his girlfriend. “ _Incroyable. Merci. Merci beaucoup. Je t'aime_ ”  He pulled her in for another kiss. “You’re speaking French again....” Jean-Luc blushed.  “No, I like it.”  Beverly slid past him and reached for the handle on the shower. “Are you done?”

“In the shower? Yes. With you? No. Come here, my love.” He reached his hand out for hers. “I take it Jack’s not here?” 

“Do you really think I would have stripped in your room if he was?”  Beverly raised her eyebrows. “Point taken.”  Jean-Luc grabbed a towel and quickly dried off.  “I think I need to give you something to think about tonight, don’t you?” 

###

They were cuddling in bed.  Beverly was playing with Jean-Luc’s hand in hers, stroking his fingers and marvelling at the way they fit together.  Jean-Luc leaned over and kissed her.  “Something on your mind, love?”

“Just thinking about tonight...I don’t want to do what we just did with Walker...is that okay?”

“Of course, my love.  I told you, we can set whatever boundaries we want.  So no sex, including oral.  Besides, I’m not sure I want to share that with anyone else, either...Bev, are we doing the right thing for Walker?”

“I don’t know.  But...if he can’t come to his friends, who can he come to?  He’s closer to you than he is to Corey or Jack...” 

“Everything will be fine tonight.  You’ll see.”  He placed a kiss on her cheek. “I don’t know about you, but I think I need a nap...” Beverly snuggled into Jean-Luc’s arms.  “Me, too.” 

###

The Tally-Ho!  was a dark, smoky club frequented by the non-binary and non-conformists of Starfleet Academy.  To Walker’s shock, the place was not only crawling with  fellow cadets, but it was teaming with Starfleet officials – some of whom were even their professors at the Academy.   Beverly clutched at Jean-Luc’s arm as she scanned the room, taking it all in.

"Oh  my God, Jean-Luc, I see Admiral McCoy over there at the bar!"  Jean-Luc squinted, "Where?"

Beverly pointed at an older man knocking back a whisky.  "Over there."  

"Do you want to go say hello to him?"  Beverly swatted Jean-Luc.

"I can't just walk up to the head of Starfleet Medical Academy and say hello!”

“Why not?”

“Because he’s _Admiral McCoy_!!”

"Whatever you say, Bev."  Jean-Luc watched as a Vulcan man walked up to Admiral McCoy, wrapped his arm around him and kissed him.  Jean-Luc turned to Walker. "Do you see who that is?!"

"Uh, should I?"

"Walker! That's Ambassador Spock!  He was instrumental in the signing of the Khitomer Accords,  first officer under Captain James T Kirk on the _Enterprise_?  The man who created _the Kobayashi Maru_?”

"Woah....I always thought he had a thing with Kirk. Both of them, actually."  Beverly smirked at her companions and turned to Jean-Luc.  "Isn’t Kirk dead?”

“Missing.”

“Well, maybe they got together after Kirk went missing.  Should we go over?"

"Oh...no. No, no, I couldn't. I wouldn't know what to say...I mean, Beverly, he’s Ambassador Spock!"

“Now look who’s starstruck!  And yet, you expected me to walk up to Admiral McCoy?”

“Point taken.  Hey, I see a free table over there. Shall we?”  Beverly tugged down on the purple leather mini skirt she was wearing. “As long as it’s dark over there.  I don’t know what I was thinking wearing this. It keeps riding up!”  Jean-Luc turned his head to look at Beverly’s backside.  “View’s fine from over here. What do you think , Walker?” 

Walker had his eyes glued to a pair of male cadets making out in the corner. “What?”

“Bev’s skirt.”

“Uh...yeah, Bev, it’s nice. I like it.”  Beverly rolled her eyes at her companions. “Come on, I want a drink.”

The three friends settled into a circular booth with Beverly between the two men.  Jean-Luc idly played with Beverly’s hair and leaned over and kissed her ear. “I love you,” he whispered in her ear.  She smiled and placed her hand on Walker’s knee.  Walker looked up at Beverly and smiled, patting her hand. “I’m alright, Bev.” 

“Good.  I see a girl from my exobiology class over there, I’m going to go say hi.” Beverly climbed over Jean-Luc, affording a passing couple a glance at her thong-clad backside. She lingered with one leg on either side of Jean-Luc and leaned down and kissed him.  Jean-Luc slipped his hands under her skirt and gave her bottom a squeeze. “Back in a minute.  Jean-Luc, order me a drink?”

“Sure. Saurian Sunset?”  she nodded.

Walker raised his eyebrows at his friend. “That was pretty forward of you in public.”

“Eh, we’re at a club known for that kind of thing. Relax, Walker.  Drink?” 

“Uh, sure.”  Jean-Luc motioned for one of the servers to come over and ordered three Saurian Sunsets.  When the server left, Jean-Luc studied his best friend.  Walker was looking around nervously, and kept focussing and then looking away from some of the couples out on the dance floor.  “Johnny, have you and Bev been here before?”

“Yeah, we’ve come a few times with some of Beverly’s friends.  The drinks are cheap, the music is good, and no one really cares what goes on as long as clothing stays on....although even that can be debatable,” Jean-Luc said as he motioned to a booth in the corner where a couple appeared to be having sex.  Walker’s eyes went wide. “I didn’t know you and Beverly were....like that.” 

“I don’t think we really knew either until we came here,” Jean-Luc motioned to the leather trousers he was sporting along with his silky green top. “Bev got me these so I would fit in with the crowd and I have to admit, they’re pretty comfortable.” Jean-Luc looked around and saw Beverly was still engrossed in conversation with her friends. “Come on, Walker. Let’s dance.”  He reached for his friends hand and tugged him to a standing position. 

“I...ah...have you ever danced with a guy?”

“No, but come on. How hard can it be?”

After much fumbling over whose arms went where, they finally settled for Jean-Luc’s hands on Walker’s hips, and Walker’s around Jean-Luc’s neck.  Jean-Luc cast a glance over towards Beverly who winked at him.  Jean-Luc took this as permission, and tilted his head and kissed Walker tentatively.  Walker’s eyes went wide at first, but then he relaxed and deepened the kiss without any prompting from Jean-Luc. 

Beverly was watching the pair and was a little embarrassed at how turned on she was getting watching her boyfriend kiss his best friend.  She walked up to them and nipped Jean-Luc on the ear. “I think we should take this back to our booth...”  Beverly reached for Jean-Luc’s hand and then Walker’s and led them both back to the booth they had been sitting at earlier, where their drinks were waiting for them.

The trio kissed. Sometimes Beverly kissed Jean-Luc, other times she kissed Walker, but mostly the two men were kissing each other while Beverly watched and encouraged them.  Jean-Luc had one hand on Beverly’s thigh under her skirt, and his other hand resting on Walker’s thigh.  He had just leaned across Beverly to kiss Walker once more when Beverly reached for her drink , downed it, and announced she thought it was time they went home and moved this someplace more private.

Walker panicked. He didn’t want their other flatmates to see him go into Beverly and Marta’s room with Beverly and Jean-Luc.  “Uhm....couldn’t we stay longer? “  Beverly and Jean-Luc exchanged a glance before Beverly patted Walker’s leg. “Of course we can stay, Walker.  We can stay as late as you want. Are you....enjoying yourself?”  Walker nodded. “But I think I need to take a breather. I’ll order us another round?”  Beverly nodded and Walker slid out of the booth. 

It wasn’t long before Beverly was straddling Jean-Luc’s lap and they were kissing once more with Jean-Luc’s hands under her skirt.  He kneaded her backside and she moaned into his mouth.  “So...seeing me kiss Walker turned you on?”  Beverly ducked her head. “Yeah.  I was surprised myself.”  Jean-Luc chuckled against her lips.  “You’re full of surprises...so is Walker.”

“Hmm?”  Jean-Luc tilted his head. “Look over at the bar.”  Beverly turned and saw Walker chatting up one of her friends.  She smiled as her friend, Morcal, wrapped his arms around Walker and kissed him.  Beverly turned back to Jean-Luc. “Well, I guess our work here is done.”

“Good thing to.  I really want to get you out of that skirt.”

“Mm, We can’t leave Walker.  Come dance with me.” 

“You mean, let you torture me?”  Beverly laughed. “Consider it training.  Resisting a woman’s wiles.”  Jean-Luc kissed Beverly again. “Mm, I don’t want to resist you.  But alright, let’s dance. Otherwise, I might peel off your knickers right here in this booth...”  Beverly raised her eyebrows  at her boyfriend. “While I’m not opposed to that idea...I think I’d prefer it if we didn’t have sex in the middle of the club.” 

“Mm, you’re probably right.  Let’s dance.”  Beverly slid off Jean-Luc’s lap and clasped his hand. 

On the dance floor, Beverly wrapped herself around Jean-Luc . She slid her  delicate hands into the back of his trousers and squeezed.  Jean-Luc chuckled as she pulled him flush against her.  “Beverly...” he groaned.  “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

Morcal and Walker were kissing in a corner.  “Walker,” Morcal whispered into Walker’s ear. “Would you like to go home with me?”

“Uh....”

“I saw you with your friends.  I mean, if you’re in a relationship with them, that’s cool. I understand, but they seem to be pretty cozy without you over there...” Walker followed Morcal’s gaze and laughed.  “No, I’m not in a relationship wit them. They’re my best mates.”

“But you were kissing them?” Walker blushed. “Yeah.  I, uh...I had never kissed a man before and they were helping me to see if I liked it.”

“Oh. And now that you have?”

“I think I like it.  Yes, Morcal, I would like to go home with you...let me tell Johnny and Bev not to wait for me.”  Morcal grinned and grabbed Walker’s hand.

Walker tapped Jean-Luc on the shoulder. “Johnny? Bev? I....ah...do you know Morcal?” Beverly smiled at her classmate. “I do, Wally.  Morcal is in exobiology with me.  He’s the one who invited me here the first time.”

“Well, We....ah....”  Morcal leaned close to Beverly and whispered. “I’m taking him home with me.”  Beverly giggled. “Mm, good.  Have fun guys....”  She leaned over and kissed Walker on the cheek and whispered in his ear “Lunch tomorrow?”  He nodded. 

“Mm, can I take you home and get that skirt off you now?”  Beverly laughed. “Mm-hmm, just let me visit the restroom first.” 

When Beverly returned from the restroom, she handed Jean-Luc her thong.  “Oh, so the walk home is going to be like _that_ is it?”  He shoved the thong into his pocket and made a mental note to look for a location in the shadows on the walk home. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jumping ahead a few months....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay. Between the Beast from the East and writing an article for the BBC, I got a little busy!
> 
> Time jump to December. Claude Picard is kind of canon. According to Memory Beta, he was supposed to be a younger brother who died at the age of 6. In a comic, Q creates an alternate time line where he lived, but turned evil...so in my wibbywobbytimeywimey universe...he fell into the well when he was 6 but survived. 
> 
> Jean-Luc failing OChem is canon, as is receiving the offer from Galen. Both are details from the Autobiography of Jean-Luc Picard.
> 
> French is via Google. Despite French having fallen out of fashion, I believe that Maurice would have insisted on continuing to speak French and teaching his children French. It just sounds like something someone who is set in their old ways would do, doesn't it?

The Winter break was fast approaching and Jean-Luc was nervous.  He had,  naturally, told his mother about his relationship with Beverly, and she was insisting he bring her home for Christmas. While Jean-Luc had brought Beverly to La Barre before – in fact, the entire group had spent two weeks in France over the summer, this would be the first time he would be introducing her as his girlfriend...and he still had to ask her if she wanted to come.  Beverly wasn’t planning on going to Caldos, in fact, she hadn’t been back since she started at the Academy because the trip took too long. The past two years, she had gone home with Marta for the Winter break and picked up extra classes over the summer since she was double majoring in pre-med and command.  Jean-Luc’s mother was threatening to send a message to Beverly personally if he didn’t ask her soon. 

He was overjoyed at the thought of spending three glorious weeks with her, but he also knew his father would put him to work at the vineyard and he didn’t want Beverly to be bored.  He also wasn’t sure how his brothers would treat her...or if his father would let her sleep in his room with him.  He knew his mother wouldn’t have a problem with it, but his father was the strict one. 

They still had midterms to take in most of their classes and both had been spending so much time studying, they barely had time for each other.  Jean-Luc’s grade still wasn’t improving in Organic Chemistry and he began to think he might wash out for real...then what would his father say?  What would Beverly say? Would she want to stay with him if he wasn’t going to enter Starfleet?  Jean-Luc also needed to talk to her about his Archaeology professor, who wanted him to go along on an expedition.  The expedition would mean he would have to resign from the academy though, as he would be gone for three years, and truthfully, he wasn’t completely sold on that idea.  Although, if he failed OChem....Jean-Luc sighed.  He would talk to Beverly about Professor Galen’s offer over the break...assuming she would go with him.

###

“Bev,  can I talk to you?”  Jean-Luc hopped over the back of the sofa she was sat on and pulled her legs onto his lap while she had her nose in a thick text book.

“Mm?” Beverly continued to turn pages and highlight text.  This went on for ten minutes before  Jean-Luc tickled her feet to get her attention and Beverly looked up, startled.  “Sorry, Jean-Luc.  You wanted to talk to me?”

“I did.  What are your plans for the upcoming break?”

“I don’t know.  Marta said she and Corey are going skiing and I was welcome to tag along,” she wrinkled her nose, “Why?”

“Well...Maman wanted me to invite you to come home with me.  As my girlfriend.  And, uh...spend Christmas at the vineyard...with me...and Maman...and father...and Robert...and Claude.....”  he trailed off once he realised he was babbling.  Beverly grinned. “Yes.”

“Really?”

“It sounds like it will be lots of fun. Plus I like your mother.  And Claude is a hoot.”  Jean-Luc groaned.  Claude was his younger brother. He was sixteen, and a little cocky sod.  While Robert wanted to follow their father into the winemaking business, and Jean-Luc had chosen Starfleet from a young age, Claude had yet to commit himself to anything other than perhaps, dating every girl in La Barre.  His letters to Jean-Luc mentioned a different girl each week, and while he was occasionally forced into helping with the vineyard, Jean-Luc knew their parents let Claude get away with entirely too much.  They always had, ever since Claude had nearly died at the age of six.  Jean-Luc had been ten, and sixteen-year-old Robert was supposed to be watching them, but he had told his brothers to stay out of trouble and went into his bedroom and shut the door.  Jean-Luc had been happily building a model spaceship in his room when he heard his little brother scream and a splash.  Claude had fallen into the family well. 

They had managed to pull him out, but he had broken his leg and both arms and there had been hell to pay with their father.  Not only had Robert been punished for not looking after his siblings, but Jean-Lu had taken the brunt of it for not asking Claude to play with him.  Jean-Luc could still feel the mixing paddle coming down on his backside if he thought about it too much.  Jean-Luc offered Beverly a wry smile. 

“He’ll try to flirt with you.”

“I can handle myself.”  She smirked.

“He looks exactly like I did when I was sixteen.” 

“Oh?”  Beverly had seen pictures of Jean-Luc when he was sixteen, and he had been an attractive teenager.  “Honestly, Jean-Luc, you  have nothing to worry about. I love you, you big lump.”

“Lump?” 

“Dunderhead?”  Jean-Luc raised his eyebrows and resumed tickling her feet. “Aaah! I take it back!”  He grinned at her and reached over to pluck the book out of her hands and he hovered over her. “Time for a break?”  Beverly nodded, and his lips covered hers.  Her hands slid into the back of his trousers and she pulled him against her.  She unzipped his trousers and had pushed them down to his knees while he pushed her skirt up and pulled down her knickers.  She wrapped one slender leg around his hips and was beginning to push his shorts down when Jack entered the apartment. 

“Jesus guys!  We have bedrooms, you know!” Jack held up his hands in front of his face. “I did not want to see your arse, Johnny!” Jean-Luc sighed and gently rearranged Beverly’s skirt before tugging up his own shorts.  “And I didn’t want you interrupting Beverly and I...again...but here we are.  Shouldn’t you be in class?” 

“Nah, cancelled.”  Jack scaled the back of the sofa opposite the one they were on and lounged there.

“Wonderful.”  Jean-Luc had managed to get his trousers back up and he was now laying on the sofa with Beverly against his chest.  He leaned down and kissed her ear and whispered “Bedroom?”  Beverly grinned and stood up and reached for Jean-Luc’s hand. “Come on, let’s go to your room.”

“Hey, but that’s my room too!”

“Should have thought about that before suggesting we use a bedroom, Jack!  Don’t disturb us!”  Jean-Luc merely grinned at his roommate and followed his girlfriend. 

###

Jean-Luc was looking at his mid-term grades and sighed. With Beverly and Walker’s help, he had managed to turn the F into a D, but it still wasn’t as high as it needed to be. He needed a C to pass the class, but a B would be better.  His only hope was raising his grade the following semester or he would have to repeat OChem and potentially not graduate on time.  Beverly slipped her arms around him from behind. “Good grades?”  He silently passed her the sheet. 

“Oh.”

“Yeah, ‘oh’.  Passing everything, except for bloody Organic Chemistry.”

“Well...do you need it?” 

“Bev, I want to go into Astrophysics . I can’t if I don’t pass OChem.”  He frowned, remembering Professor Galen’s offer.  He didn’t need OChem _or_ Astrophysics to go into Archaeology.  But did he want to?  He still wasn’t sure.  He had felt the call of the stars from a young age and just wanted to e out there exploring, not stuck on a dusty rock digging in the dirt.  On the other hand, part of exploring the galaxy _was_ digging up old artefacts.  He set his lips in a line.  He would talk about his opportunity with Beverly once they were in La Barre.  Beverly leaned up and kissed his neck.  “Walker and I will help you.  Look, I know it’s supposed to be break, but give me all your work from class and I’ll look at it and see if I can figure out how to help you.”  Jean-Luc turned around and kissed her on the lips.

“Thank you. What would I do without you?”

“Hmm. Grow up to be a miserable old sod.” She kissed his nose.

“Gee, thanks.  Anyway, are you packed?  Shuttle for Paris leaves in two hours.”  Beverly nodded.  “You said pack for snow, right?”

“Yeah. Claude’s last letter said it had already started to snow.  If you need to replicate anything, we need to do it here since my father doesn’t believe in one.”

“I remember.  Maybe I better replicate one more jumper....or I could just wear yours. Don’t you  have old ones at home?”

“Hmm. Claude probably inherited them.  And they had been Robert’s before they were mine. Trust me, you probably don’t want to wear them.  Oh, Maman said you can borrow a dressing gown from her, so that will save space.”

“Will we have time to go present shopping? Ooh, can we go shopping in Paris?”  Beverly’s eyes lit up at the prospect of seeing Paris.  Jean-Luc chuckled.  “Sure, but we live closer to Switzerland  than Paris, but if you really want to go, I’m sure it can be arranged. “

“Fantastic. Let me go replicate another jumper and some slippers and I’ll be ready to go. You go pack your OChem notes!”

“Yes, dear...”

When they arrived at Charles de Gaulle spaceport,  Jean-Luc shouldered his bag and Beverly’s and reached for her hand. It was a long walk between the shuttle pads and the transporters, but they made their assigned time slot to La Barre and were soon rematerialising in the village transportation center.  Beverly shivered and reached for her bag.  “Think I better wear my coat now.” 

“Mm, good idea.”  Jean-Luc was scanning the crowd of people in the arrivals hall. He wasn’t sure if anyone was coming to meet them or not. Jean-Luc groaned when he saw the sandy head of his younger brother. “Great.  An hour’s walk home with Claude trying to flirt with you.”  Beverly laughed and placed her hand in the crook of his arm. “I told you, Jean-Luc, I’ll be ok.”  She stood on her toes to give Jean-Luc a tender kiss and Claude made a face as he walked towards them. “Ew. Is that what it looks like when I get kissed?”

“Hullo, Claude.” 

“Jean-Luc,” Claude looked behind Beverly and Jean-Luc. “Where’s everyone else?” 

“It’s just us.  Walker and Jack went home to Connecticut to see their families and Marta and Corey went skiing.” Claude frowned.  “Oh.”

“Are we not good enough for you, little brother?”

“Noo....I just was hoping to see Marta again.  She’s hot!  Hey Bev, you’re hot too. Are you sure you want to be with my brother?” Claude wiggled his eyebrows at Beverly and she gave him an icy glare.

“Quite. And my name is Beverly.”

“Fine, whatever. Come on, we can catch the local shuttle if we hurry.”

When they arrived at the house, Jean-Luc’s mother was there to greet them. She enveloped Beverly in a hug and kissed both her cheeks. “ _Bienvenue_ , Beverly.”

“ _Merci, Madame Picard.”_

“Nonsense. Call me Yvette.”  Beverly nodded and Jean-Luc was engulfed in his mother’s arms.  She whispered “ _Beverly doit mettre son sac dans la chambre d'amis, mais une fois que ton père va se coucher..._ ” She raised her eyebrows at her son. 

“ _Merci, Maman._ Maman, Beverly isn’t fluent in French yet, would you mind if we spoke in Standard for her?”

“Of course. I’m sorry Beverly.  I tend to forget...”

“It’s not a problem, Madame...Yvette.  I can understand more than I can speak, and I did bring along my translator badge just in case.”  Yvette beamed at the girl. “Come inside.  Claude, will you take Beverly and Jean-Luc’s bags upstairs for them?  They must be parched after their long journey.  Tea?”

“Yes please, Yvette.  I know Jean-Luc developed his taste for Earl Grey from you.” 

“He did indeed.”  Jean-Luc felt his face go hot.  Was it _really_ a good idea to bring Beverly alone?

“Maman, where’s father and Robert?”

“Out with the vines making sure they will be fine this winter. You know, they do this every year multiple times. The vines have always been fine.  Robert’s girlfriend s joining us for supper tonight.  She’s a nice girl, I think you’ll like her Jean-Luc.”

“And she’s chosen Robert? I’m not sure, Maman...”  Yvette narrowed her eyes at her middle son.  “Robert has promised to be good to you and Beverly, you can at least return the favour.”

“Fine.”  Jean-Luc took the tea service from his mother’s hands.  “Sitting room?”  She nodded.  “Your father built me a nice warm fire before he left this morning.” 

Over tea, Yvette got to know Beverly better and she could tell by the way her son looked at her that he was deeply in love with her and she wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t announce their engagement before Robert and Marie. 

That night, Beverly changed into her nightgown in the guest room, then scurried across the hall to Jean-Luc’s childhood bedroom. With both doors shut, Maurice wouldn’t know Jean-Luc and Beverly were sharing a bed as he woke up at 0400 and was outside in the barn, vines, or his office by 5. Jean-Luc grinned when he saw Beverly enter his room and he lifted the side of his covers for her to get in the bed.  She snuggled against his shoulder and he laughed.

“What’s so funny?”

“Oh, I’m just picturing how fifteen-year-old me would have reacted if I told him in five years there would be a gorgeous red-head in his bed.”  Beverly snorted.  “I think I can guess.”

“Yeah, so can I.”

###

Beverly and Jean-Luc had been in La Barre for a week. Christmas was in five days, and Beverly was enjoying helping Yvette with the preparations and Yvette was enjoying having the help. She had always hoped for a daughter, but had been blessed with three very different sons instead.  Jean-Luc  always enjoyed helping her in the kitchen, and it was good for her soul to see him and Beverly interacting.  Jean-Luc tried to sneak a finger into the batter Beverly was stirring and she swatted him with the wooden spoon.  Yvette laughed as batter splattered all over the two of them and Jean-Luc leaned over to lick some batter off Beverly’s nose.  She glanced over at them once more before making her decision. 

“Jean-Luc, could I see you upstairs for a minute?”

“Uh...sure, Maman.”  Jean-Luc wiped the batter off his face and pressed a kiss to Beverly’s cheek. “Be right back, love.”

Jean-Luc  cautiously followed his mother up the stairs to his parent’s bedroom and waited outside like his father had taught him to do from a young age. 

“Jean-Luc, _entrez,_ ”  Jean-Luc awkwardly stood in the doorway.  As children, they had never been allowed in their parent’s bedroom unless there was an emergency, and even then, Maurice had told the boys they needed to knock and wait to be invited in.  Yvette saw how uncomfortable Jean-Luc was and laughed.  “Jean-Luc, _Tu es un adulte. Tu es peut-être dans ma chambre._ “  Jean-Luc grinned and gingerly sat on the edge of his parent’s bed.  Yvette walked over to her dressing table and opened a box before turning back to her son.

“Jean-Luc,  I want you to give this to Beverly.”  She held out a ring.

“Maman?”

“ _Ton père me l'a donné quand nous avions ton âge. Nous étions tellement amoureux ... le sommes toujours._ ”

“Maman.... _Non_.  Beverly and I aren’t ready for that step...we’ve only been dating for a few months...” 

“Then you hold onto it and give it to her when you are ready to.  But remember, Jean-Luc, _ta maman devient vieille. Je veux tenir mes petits-enfants avant de mourir._ ”  Yvette had a faraway look in her eyes. 

“ _Maman!_ You’re not old. And certainly not dying.  You know Beverly has four years of Medical school after we graduate and then two more of internships.  I don’t think she wants to have a baby until after.” 

“You’ll make your maman wait seven years?”  Jean-Luc scoffed at his mother. “Perhaps Robert and Marie will get married and give you a _petit-enfant_...or Claude. You never know with him.” 

Yvette pressed the ring into Jean-Luc’s hand. “Still. Take this.  I want Beverly to have it when you are ready to give it to her.” 

“Thank you, Maman.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did tag this as fluff, right?

Beverly shivered in the night air and wrapped the blanket around her shoulders as she followed her boyfriend into one of the barns.  “Jean-Luc...it’s Christmas Eve. It’s almost midnight...can’t this wait?”

“No, come on, I want to show you something.”  He gestured for her to follow him with the lantern he was holding in one hand.  His other hand contained a basket with a bottle of wine, 2 glasses, a blanket, a wedge of cheese, some crackers, and Beverly’s Christmas present.  He knew they weren’t ready for getting engaged, even though he would have slipped his mother’s ring on her finger in a heartbeat, but he had bought her a pretty necklace and hoped she wouldn’t be disappointed that it wasn’t an engagement ring. 

Beverly grumbled, but followed him inside and up the rickety ladder to the loft.  The loft was full of hay, and Jean-Luc hug his lantern from a hook hanging from the ceiling and spread out the blanket on the hay.  Beverly sunk onto the blanket next to him, her blanket still wrapped around her shoulders and he leaned down and tugged off her boots before removing his own and laying back. He pulled her close and she rested her head on his chest. “Look up.” 

Beverly peered at the ceiling. Jean-Luc had pushed a plank to one side and it afforded them an uninterrupted view of the heavens.  “Hold that thought.”  Beverly got up and gently extinguished the lantern before snuggling back in Jean-Luc’s arms. “That’s better.  Jean-Luc, it’s gorgeous.  Is this where you came as a child?”

“In the winter.  During the warmer months, I would stargaze from under a tree on the hill,”  he tightened his grip on Beverly. “I wanted to share this with you. I’ve never shown this to anyone.”  Beverly gave him a kiss and wrapped her fingers around his. “Thank you for sharing this with me.” 

The couple stayed silent, occasionally exchanging a kiss, but mostly quietly looking up at the sky. Beverly could tell Jean-Luc was contemplating something.

“What’s on your mind, my love?”

“When I was a child and I used to come up here, I thought I was destined to be out in those stars. I spent hours memorising the night sky and all the names of the stars, planets, and constallations...but now I find I’m thinking about other pursuits instead.”

“Me?”  Jean-Luc chuckled and leaned over to kiss her. “You’re part of it.  I only have one and a half years, but you have four at Medical. The thought of being apart from you...well, I don’t like thinking about it.”  Beverly smiled to herself.  She often wondered if she should give up her dreams of being a doctor so she could join Jean-Luc sooner.  Sounded like he had similar thoughts.

“And the other part?”

“Professor Galen has invited me to join him on a dig this summer-“

“Oh, that’s wonderful, Jean-Luc. Don’t say no because of me!”

“Let me finish?  It would start this summer, but last for three years...maybe longer depending on what we find.  I would have to drop out of the Academy.....”

“Oh. Do you want to?”  She gently brought their twined fingers to her lips.

“I might not have a choice if I fail OChem.”  He rolled on top of her.  “But then if I go with Galen, I would be even farther away from you...with no shore leaves to visit you on.” Beverly smiled and he lowered his lips to hers.

“If I wasn’t in the picture...if we weren’t together...what would you do?”

“I don’t know.  I want to be a starship Captain....but I want to see if we can find this lost civilisation, too.”  He sighed against her lips. “But it could all be moot if I fail OChem.”

“Which, you’re not.  I’ve looked at your notes and I think I can see what we need to work on when we get back.  But enough talking about school.  We’re alone, under the stars...can’t you think of something better for us to do? And, it’s almost Christmas...or might already be.  No more talk of the Academy.  Let’s just enjoy ourselves.” Beverly pushed him up onto his knees and began working on the buttons on his pyjama top.  When she had the last one open, he shivered in the night air when she pushed it off his shoulders.  She reached for his waistband, but he caught her hands.

“Nuh-uh, Bev. It’s my turn.”  Jean-Luc inched her nightgown up from her knees and grinned when he saw she hadn’t been wearing any underwear.  He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her damp curls before inching the gown higher.  When the cool air hit her nipples, they pebbled and she moaned when he took one into his mouth, the sensations of his warm mouth on one nipple and the cool air on the other mingling together and she nearly lost it before he tugged her nightgown over her head and tossed it to one side.  She made quick work of removing his pyjama bottoms and she was soon guiding him into her .

They made gentle love in the loft, the sliver of moonlight and starlight coming in from the missing plank as their only light.  Beverly pulled Jean-Luc’s head down for a kiss. “Merry Christmas, Jean-Luc.” 

“Merry Christmas, Beverly.”

###

Jean-Luc had pulled Beverly’s blanket over them and he held her close.  “I love you, Beverly.”

“I love you too.  Did I see you brought some wine and cheese? I’m hungry.”  Jean-Luc chuckled and sat up.  Beverly reached for his Pyjama top and used it like a robe. He raised his eyebrows at her. “What? I look better in it.”

“You do indeed.”  He pulled on his trousers and reached for the basket.  “Wine and cheese, I believe you requested.”  She nodded.  “Oh, and there’s something else in this basket....”  Jean-Lu held out the small box to Beverly.

“For me?  This isn’t a...?”

“No.  Unless....Do you want...?”

“I don’t know...maybe...no, perhaps not yet.  So what’s in the box if it’s not a ring?”

“Open it.”  Beverly gently took the box and the lid creaked open.  Nestled against the velvet was a delicate necklace with a heart-shaped deep red stone hanging on it. 

“I saw it in the village and it made me think of you...Beverly, you are my heart.”

“ _Tu es mon Coeur_.”  Jean-Luc grinned. 

“Yes.  _Tu es mon Coeur. J’taime.”_

“I love you too. Will you put it on me?”  Beverly held out the necklace and Jean-Luc delicately placed it around her neck.

“Beautiful,” he breathed out before leaning over and kissing her.  Beverly fell backwards onto the blanket and pulled him with her. She tugged his pyjamas back down his hips. “What about the wine?”

“Later.  I want something else first.”

###

They snuck back into the house in the dawn light.  Yvette was already at the stove, making breakfast and she just passed them cups of tea with a knowing smile.  She surreptitiously glanced at Beverly’s hand wrapped around the cup and Jean-Luc softly shook his head.  Yvette did notice the necklace hanging around Beverly’s neck. “What a lovely necklace, Beverly.” Yvette leaned in closer to take a look at it and gently pulled a bit of hay out of her hair. “Maybe you two should go back upstairs and detangle Beverly’s hair.”  Jean-Luc grinned and Beverly turned red. “Thanks Maman. We’ll leave my door open for Papa.”

“Don’t bother.  I told him you were sharing your room.”  Jean-Luc’s eyes bulged out. “And he...wasn’t...mad?”

“He won’t be later, I can assure you.”  Beverly snorted.  “Come on, let’s take our tea upstairs and get this hay out of my hair.”

“Yes, dear.”  Yvette exchanged a smug smile with Beverly as Jean-Luc headed up the stairs.  Yes, Yvette definitely wanted Beverly as her daughter-in-law. 

Christmas celebrations with the Picard family was a joyous affair. Even Robert had blushed when Beverly gave him a kiss on the cheek in thanks for the scarf he gave her and Claude had complained that he wanted a kiss too.  Marie, Robert’s girlfriend, had come over for the festivities and Yvette had hung a sprig of mistletoe in the door and when Jean-Luc and Marie were caught walking under it there was much cajoling on Beverly’s part for Jean-Luc to kiss her new friend.  Jean-Luc had given her a peck on the cheek and Robert had clapped his brother on the back and said, “Come on, Jean-Luc, you can do better than that!”  Jean-Luc took it as a challenge and deeply kissed Marie again, making her blush and Beverly whistle.  The rest of the evening, Claude kept trying to get either Beverly or Marie to run into him under the mistletoe, but they carefully avoided it.

Beverly collapsed back onto Jean-Luc’s bed.  While he was in the shower, she had taken the liberty of moving her belongings into his room.  It would be nice to finally share a bed with him at his parent’s house without worrying about having to sneak in or out.  Jean-Luc wandered back in with a towel wrapped around his waist. “Making yourself home I see?”  Beverly closed he eyes and smiled.

“I’m not moving.”   Jean-Luc chuckled. 

“Not even to make room for me?”

“Hmm.   I don’t know . Me and Mitaines are pretty comfortable.”  Jean-Luc reached over and gave the small tabby cat a stroke.  Mitaines was the family cat, but she was usually found sleeping in Jean-Luc’s room.  “Why didn’t you ever tell me you had a cat?”

“I don’t know. I guess it didn’t seem important. Mitaines is the family cat, she’s not really mine.”

“I like cats.  I think we should get a cat.” Jean-Luc removed his towel and carefully slid under the covers so he didn’t disturb the cat. 

“I’m not sure our roommates would appreciate a cat, but we can get one after graduation.”  Beverly grinned, wondering if Jean-Luc realised what he had said.  She snuggled up against him. “I’d like that.  G’night, Jean-Luc. I love you.”

Jean-Luc gave her a soft kiss. “I love you, too, Bev. Goodnight.”

###

Beverly and Jean-Luc returned, refreshed and ready for the semester.  Jean-Luc wa feeling confident for Organic Chemistry, and was going to turn down Professor Galen’s offer. As much as he enjoyed archaeology, he wanted to be in the stars more.  Somehow, Walker and Jack had convinced the rest of them to apply for an elite flight school on one of the moons of Jupiter.  The school only took ten cadets per session, and somehow they had all managed to get accepted into the course taking place over the spring break along with four other cadets. 

When they arrived at the training facility, they were dismayed to learn that all ten cadets would be sleeping in t the same dormitory, and the dormitory leaked.  The beds were narrow, but the two couples pushed two of the bunks together and Jean-Luc and Beverly slept on the top bunks with Corey and Marta below them. 

The training was long and hard.  The shuttles they were using were, in Jack’s words, “hunks of junk”, but somehow they all had managed to survive the training and passed the elite training.  It would come in handy the following year when they all, except for Beverly, would be putting in for their first assignments. 

###

“House meeting!”  Marta called out.  Jean-Luc groaned.  He hated house meetings.  He didn’t think there was anything that needed to be discussed, other than signing their new lease for the following year.  The six friends gathered around on the sofa and Marta held Corey’s hand and cleared her throat.  “We wanted to talk to you about room assignments for next year....”

“What do you mean?  Won’t we just stay where we are?” 

“Well, Jack...you probably will.  Corey and I would like to share a room.  We thought Walker could move in with Jack and then Beverly, you and Jean-Luc could have our room?” 

“Uhmm”  Beverly glanced over at Jean-Luc. They hadn’t discussed living together next year because they assumed it would be the same as it had been this past year. 

“Do you mind if Beverly and I discuss this alone before making a descision?  Just...give us fifteen...twenty minutes?”  Marta nodded and Jean-Luc stood and took Beverly’s hand.  “I’ll meet you in your room in a sec, Bev.”

Beverly sat cross-legged on her bed and waited for Jean-Luc, all the while thinking about if she wanted to share a room with him or not.  On one hand, she wanted to share a room with him because they were spending all their nights together anyway and it would make sense to share...on the other hand...were they ready for it?  But then again...this was going to be their last year together for a while since Jean-Luc would go on assignment and she would be at Medical. 

Jean-Luc entered her room and sat opposite her on the bed and took her hands in his.  “Beverly, what are you thinking?”

“I...I don’t know.  I want to live with you....but it’s a big step. “

“It is...but I was thinking...what if we take a bigger step?”  Beverly’s eyes went wide.

“A bigger step? You’re not suggesting we move out, are you?”  Jean-Luc shook his head.  “No...”  Jean-Luc reached into his pocket and pulled out his mother’s ring.  Beverly gasped.

“Beverly?”

“Jean-Luc...is that...is  that what I think it is?”  He slowly nodded. 

“Beverly...will you marry me?”  He noticed she was still gaping at him so he hastily added “Not right away, Bev.  We can even wait until after you finish med school if you want.  I just....wanted you to have the ring.”  He looked down. “But if you don’t think we’re ready....I understand.”

“Yes.”

“What?”  Jean-Luc looked up into Beverly’s smiling face. “Yes, you daft boy.  I will marry you.” 

“Oh!”  Jean-Luc leaned forward and kissed her and placed the ring on her finger. “Maman gave this to me at Christmas...it was hers.”  Beverly admired the ring. “I love it. I love you...wait, your mother wanted you to ask me to marry you at Christmas?” 

“I nearly did when we were in the barn, but I wasn’t sure if we were ready yet.”

“I would have said yes, but I don’t think we were ready.  I’m not sure we’re ready to get married right away now..but let’s share a room next year first.”  She leaned over and kissed him tenderly.   “I suppose we don’t have time to celebrate?”  Jean-Luc chuckled.

“Later, my love.  Do you want to tell our friends yet?”  Beverly smirked.

“No.  Let’s see how long it takes them to notice the ring.” 

“You really do have an evil streak, don’t you?”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time jumps and fluff.

The rest of the semester passed in a blur.  Walker and Jack had agreed to be roommates, so Jean-Luc moved into Beverly’s room and they purchased a larger bed.  Jean-Luc had worried that sharing a room with Beverly would be a distraction, but he managed to not only pass Organic Chemistry, but he managed to raise his D to a B. Summer loomed and the six friends had to decide what they would be doing.  Marta had been offered an internship at Starfleet Headquarters, so she and Corey would be staying at the apartment.  Jack and Walker were heading home to their respective homes in Connecticut, and that left Jean-Luc and Beverly. Beverly had spoken with her advisor and discovered she did not need any additional courses to graduate with both degrees the following year, and Jean-Luc’s mother had invited her to La Barre for the Summer.  Plus, they hadn’t yet told Jean-Luc’s family about their engagement, though Beverly also wasn’t sure when she wanted to get married and knew that would be the first question they were asked.

She needed a girlfriend to talk to, but she only had Marta and Walker’s younger sister, Missy.  Marta and Corey were happy for their friends to get married, but had both admitted marriage wasn’t something they were considering at this point, and Missy was far too young to be able to give her an honest opinion so Beverly decided to talk to Walker.  Walker was closest to Jean-Luc over the other two boys, and she always felt comfortable talking to him.  Beverly softly knocked on Jack and Walker’s door. 

“Come in?”  Beverly opened the door and stuck her head in. “Hey Wally, I wondered if I could talk to you?”

“Sure, Bev. Come on in.  Jack’s out, so we’ll be alone in here.  Have a seat.”  Beverly sat on Walker’s bed. 

“I need some advice. Well, maybe not advice, but I need to talk some things over with someone other than Jean-Luc, because I know what he’ll say.”

“Um, Ok. What’s up?”  Beverly twisted her engagement ring around her finger, something she had started to do whenever she was thinking or nervous. 

“I don’t know when we should get married.”

“Uhm, ok. But shouldn’t you be having this conversation with Johnny?”  Beverly smiled at her friend.

“No.  Jean-Luc told me we can get married whenever I’m ready.”

“I see.  But, does he have an opinion?” 

“I think he’d rather we get married sooner over later, but he will respect my decision.”   Walker pursed his lips and moved to sit in his desk chair.  He looked over at Beverly.

“Ok, so what are the options?”

“We can get married now.  Well, not now now, but soon.  I mean, how long does a wedding take to plan?  We already know who will be in the wedding party.  So we could get married over the Summer...or anytime next year before graduation.” 

“Ok, well, that doesn’t sound too hard of a decision.  If I was you, I would probably want to do it over the Summer when it could be outside...because I know you.  And getting married over the Summer would mean you guys would get to go on a honeymoon before class begins....”  Walker grinned at Beverly, who blushed.

“But we also could get married after graduation next year...or wait until I finish med school.”

“In five years?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you want to be engaged for five years, Bev?”  Walker eyed his friend.

“No...not really...but...if we get married before I start med school, we’ll be apart for the first four years of our marriage...I know Jean-Luc will say he’ll put in for a position at Command, but I don’t want him to give up his dreams of the stars for me.  So do you see, Wally?  I don’t know what to do!”  Beverly threw herself down on Walker’s pillow and he chuckled. 

“So...instead of talking to your fiancé, you’re going to lay in my bed?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Right. Well, move over.”  Beverly moved to one side and Walker laid down on his bed next to Beverly, and Beverly rested her head on his shoulder.  “Wally, what should we do?  All I want is to be married to Jean-Luc. Why is deciding when to do it so hard?” 

“Maybe you’re thinking too hard about it.  You said you already know who will be in your wedding party. I’m assuming you want all of us in it?”  Beverly nodded.  “So if you don’t want a big wedding, just have us all on standby and when you’re ready, you know we’ll all be there.” 

“That’s a good idea, Wally. Thank you.”  She leaned up and kissed his cheek. “You’re the best. Now, tell me what’s going on with you?” 

###

“Keel to Picard,” Walker whispered.

_“Picard here. What’s up, Walker?”_

“Um. Could you come get your fiancée?  She’s fallen asleep in my bed....and I’m her pillow.”  Over the comm unit, Walker could hear Jean-Luc laughing.  “ _I’ll be right there. Picard out.”_

Jean-Luc entered Walker’s room clad in his pyjamas and stifled his laugh.  Beverly had her head resting on Walker’s chest and she was sound asleep.  “Should I even ask how this happened?”

“No.  We were laying on my bed talking and she just...fell asleep. Is this normal?”

“Yep.  That’s my girl. Able to fall asleep at the drop of a hat, even mid-sentence if she’s tired.” 

“Ok, but can you get her off me? I need to pee.  And she’s your fiancée, not mine.” Jean-Luc laughed at his best friend and leaned over him and gently kissed Beverly’s cheek. “Bev?  Sweetheart? Wake up. Walker has to pee and you’re using him as your pillow....”  Beverly slowly opened her eyes.  “Hmm?  Oh, sorry Wally.”  Jean-Luc smirked.

“Something you’d like to tell me?” Beverly sat up and leaned over Walker to kiss Jean-Luc. “Don’t be silly.”  Jean-Luc smiled against her lips. “But you like it when I’m silly.”

“I do.”  She kissed him again. 

“Uhh...guys? Not that I don’t enjoy the lovefest, but I really _do_ need to pee.”  Beverly giggled, but climbed over Walker and got out of his bed. She leaned down and kissed his cheek. “Thank you.”

“Uh, you’re welcome.”  Jean-Luc wrapped an arm around Beverly’s shoulder as they left his room. “So, what were you talking about with Walker this late at night?” 

“Oh...not much...you...me... planned our wedding...his love life...the usual.”  Jean-Luc raised his eyebrows. “I see.  And do I get to know the details about our wedding?”

“Mm, maybe.  But let’s go to bed, I’m tired.”  Jean-Luc laughed. “You were just sleeping!”

“I know, but Walker isn’t as comfortable as you.” 

“I see.”  Beverly yawned as she removed her jumper and leggings and traded them for a pair of sleep shorts and a camisole and she climbed into bed.  “Jean-Luc?”

“Yes, love?”

“Let’s get married.”  He chuckled as he got into bed. “I thought that’s why we got engaged?”

“No, I mean I don’t want to wait.  Let’s just do it. We’ll go tell your parents and then get married. Can we?”

“I don’t see why not.  Do we want our friends there?”  Beverly nodded.  “Papa’s going to ask if you’re pregnant.”

“I’m not.”

“I know, but he’ll still ask.”  He held his arm out and she scooted close.  “I love you.”

“I love you too.  Are we really going to do this?”

“Yep.  I’m going to be Beverly Picard!”

“I thought I was going to be Jean-Luc Howard?  Isn’t that your tradition?”  Beverly shook her head against his chest.  “No.  I want your name. Nana will understand.”  Jean-Luc leaned down and kissed he head. “Ok. Night, Beverly.”

“Good-night, Jean-Luc.”

###

Beverly giggled as she and Jean-Luc slipped out of his parent’s house with their blankets and a bottle of wine.  Jean-Luc had promised Beverly he would take her to his tree to look up at the stars, and if Beverly had her way, they would be doing more than just looking at stars.  They were getting married in three days. Tomorrow, their friends were arriving and Jack had planned some kind of Stag party for Jean-Luc.  Beverly wasn’t entirely sure what kind of a party they could really have in La Barre, but she was having her own party with Marta, Missy, and Marie.  Beverly giggled every time she realised that her friends names were alliterate.  The night before their wedding, they would be sleeping apart -  a strange tradition Yvette insisted they observe where Jean-Luc wouldn’t be allowed to see Beverly until she walked down the aisle.  Jean-Luc was going to bunk in with Walker and Jack, and Beverly was going to sleep in Jean-Luc’s room alone.  So this was their last full night together before their wedding.

Jean-Luc reached the top of the hill and spread the blanket down he had in his arms under a tree. 

“How can we look at stars when the tree will be in the way?”

“Mm, you look between the leaves and beyond the tree.  Trust me.  This is the best place other than the barn to stargaze.”  Jean-Luc gave her a grin and tugged her down onto the blanket. 

“Jean-Luc?”

“Yeah, Bev?”

“I love you.”  She leaned over and kissed him.  “Well, I would _hope_ so.”  Beverly smacked his chest. “Cheeky.”

“I love you too, Beverly.”  Beverly laid down and rested her head on Jean-Luc’s shoulder and gazed up at the sky. 

“You’ll be up there next year and I’ll be stuck here.”  Jean-Luc  turned his head towards her. “Beverly...If you want me to, I will stay, too. I’ll ask to be assigned to Command.”  Beverly smiled and shook her head. 

“I knew you would say that.  I don’t want you to do that.  I know it will mean being apart for months on end, but we’ll be fine.” She leaned over and kissed him.  “Just...promise me once I graduate, we’ll try to be on the same ship?”  Jean-Luc grinned. “Count on it.” 

“Mm, good.” Beverly rose up onto her knees. “I have a surprise for you....”

“Oh?”

“Mm-hmm.”  Beverly reached for the sash on her periwinkle blue dressing gown.  Jean-Luc knew she had a matching nightgown, but what he didn’t know was that she had removed it before they left the house. She slowly untied the sash and let her dressing gown fall open.  The cool summer night air hit her breasts and made her nipples pebble.  Jean-Luc sucked in his breath as he gazed at his fiancée in the pale moonlight.  Her alabaster skin seemed to glow as she pushed the gown off her shoulders and let it pool around her knees. 

“You are beautiful.”  Beverly blushed.  Jean-Luc tugged her closer and started kissing her and let his hands roam over her body. He took one of her nipples in his mouth and she gasped.  “Beverly,” he whispered. “Stand up.”  Beverly slowly stood and Jean-Luc rose to meet her. They met in a passionate kiss and Beverly pushed him back against the trunk of the tree.  She grinned and untied his own dressing gown and pushed it off his shoulders.  Jean-Luc was wearing sleepshorts and Beverly slowly slid them down his legs. 

“I want to make love in the moonlight.”  She hooked a leg around his waist and pressed close.  The bark of the tree bit into his back but he paid it no notice as Beverly guided him inside her.  He broke off from kissing her to gasp out “I love you” before swapping their positions to press Beverly into the tree. 

They collapsed onto the blanket and continued to kiss.  Beverly winced when Jean-Luc ran his hands over her back. “Are you ok?”

“Mm, I think the tree scraped me.”

“Roll over onto your stomach,”  Jean-Luc detangled himself from her so she could roll off him and onto her stomach.  Her back was criss-crossed with scratches from the tree.  Jean-Luc gently caressed her back.  “There’s a dermol regenerator in our room,” she mumbled into her arms.  Jean-Luc raised his eyebrows.  “Oh? So you planned on needing it?”  Beverly gingerly rolled over. 

“Well, I wasn’t sure what kind of trouble you guys would get into at your stag party. I thought it was a good idea.”

“Ah, you may have a point.”  Beverly leaned up on her elbows.  “What happened to the wine?”  Jean-Luc looked around and found the bottle and the two glasses.  “Shall we toast?”

“Mmm, to our future.”  Jean-Luc passed her a glass and raised it towards her and echoed her words as they clinked glasses.

###

“Heyyy Johnny! Ready for your night out on the town?”  Corey slapped his friend on the back.  “In La Barre?  Good luck.”

“Ah, Johnny. We’re not staying in La Barre.” Jean-Luc raised his eyebrows at his friend. “We’re not?”

“Nope! Jack has it all planned out for us. Hey, are your brothers coming along?”  Jean-Luc shrugged.  “Were they asked?”

“I don’t know.  Hey, Jack!  Did you ask Robert and Claude if they want to come along?”  Jack’s voice rang back out over the courtyard. “No, I forgot.  Hey Robbie! Claude!”  Jean-Luc cringed.  It was one thing for his friends to call him Johnny, but he was sure Robert would not appreciate having his name shortened.  Robert came out of the barn and glared at Jean-Luc’s friends. “My name is Robert.” 

“Err..sorry.  We’re going out for Johnny’s stag and wondered if you wanted to join us?”  Robert exchanged glances with his brother.  Their relationship had always been shaky.  In fact, they had only been getting along better lately because of Marie and Beverly.  Jean-Luc could tell Robert was hesitating to accept so he spoke up. “Robert,  I would love it if you would come.”

“Well, alright. Besides, someone has to keep and eye on all of you.”  Jean-Luc chuckled. “Robert, you don’t know what you’re getting into.  Where’s Claude?”

“I think he met Walker’s sister.”

“Uh-oh.”  Robert grinned at his brother.  The one thing the two of them could usually unite over was their younger brother.  “Should I warn Walker?”

“Nah, let’s see how this plays out.” 

Beverly threw her arms around Jean-Luc and kissed him. “The girls and I are going to get ready in our bedroom if that’s alright with you?” 

“Mm, do me a favour and put a change of clothing in Walker and Jack’s room?  I think Maman was putting them in the attic room and Corey and Marta in the larger guest room, with Missy in the smaller one.”  Beverly nodded.  “By the way, your brother is flirting with Missy.  Should we warn Walker?” 

Robert chuckled.  “I’ll handle it.”

###

“Bev,” Missy asked as she piled her hair on top of her head.  “How did you know Jean-Luc was the one?”  Beverly smiled at her friend. “I just know.  You don’t have to sleep around to know you’ve found the one you want to spend the rest of your life with.”

“Oh.”

“Is there a particular reason you’re asking me?”  Missy blushed. “N...Noo....” 

“Missy..tell me.”

“Claude kissed me and I got that funny feeling. You know what I’m talking about.”  Over her head, Beverly and Marie grinned. 

“What’s wrong with that?”

“Well,  I mean...we’re only seventeen.”  Marie patted the young girl’s arm.  “Ah, Missy.  When you know, you know.  So what if you’re seventeen?  If you fall in love with Claude Picard, I can promise you this family would welcome you with open arms.”  Beverly giggled.  “Would that make Wally my brother then?” 

“Why would Wally  be your brother, Bev?”  Marta had just joined the girls.

“Oh, if Missy and Claude got together.”  Marta raised her eyebrows.  “Playing matchmaker?” 

“Hey, Marta, how come you and Corey aren’t getting married?  You guys have been together longer than Bev and Johnny?” 

“ _Melissa Keel!_ ”  Beverly admonished the girl.  “You don’t ask people questions like that.”  Marta looked at the floor.  “Honestly...I don’t know.  I guess I’m a little scared to commit to him.  But Bev...you and Johnny...you guys are totally made for each other.  I’m just not sure about me and Corey.” 

“Well, we have plenty of time.  Now then, enough talking about boys. Where are you taking me tonight?” 

“I thought we would go into Besançon for the evening. Much more to do there than there is in sleepy La Barre!”  Beverly laughed at her new friend. “Marie, you live here.”

“I know.  Trust me, there isn’t anything to do in the village once the bakery shuts.”

“So, what do you and Robert do for dates?”

“Well, we met at a village fete at the chapel, so I guess our first date was at the fete.  Then, he took me horseback riding, and we’ve gone to a few of the nearby towns for dinner. But mostly, we go on long walks together.  And kiss.  A lot.”  Beverly grinned. “Gotta say, those Picard men are good kissers, eh, Missy?”  Missy turned a deep shade of pink and Marta put her arms around her. 

“I thought we weren’t going to talk about boys anymore.”

“You’re right.  It was my fault for asking Marie about Robert. Sorry,” 

“Ugh, you can’t help it,” Marta sighed. “You’re marrying Jean-Luc the day after tomorrow!”  Beverly grinned. “I know!  But come on, girls.  Let’s go out on the town!”

###

Jack had arranged for a ground car for the group, which now included Robert and Claude. 

“Jack, where are we going?  There’s nothing in La Barre.”

“Oh, don’t I know it.  No, Claude helped me arrange this evening.” Jean-Luc turned in his seat to look at his younger brother. “You helped Jack?”  Claude nodded.  “Great.  My playboy  best friend and my playboy brother have arranged my last night of singledom.”  Jean-Luc rested his head in his hands.  Walker patted his friend’s shoulder.

“Chin, up, Johnny. You have me, Corey, and Robert to keep them in line.” 

“Wonderful.”

###

Jack drunkenly banged on the table to get the attention of the passing server.  “Ladies, another drink here for Johnny. This is his last night of freedom, you know.”   Jean-Luc shook his head.  “I’m fine.”

“Awww, C’mon Johnny!  We haven’ t had a night out without Beverly and Marta in ages! Time to live it up!”  Jean-Luc looked over at his younger brother, who had already found a girl to dance with. “I think Claude is doing enough for the both of us....” Robert snorted and lifted his  beer. 

“A beer, Robert? I’m shocked,” Walker ribbed on the older man.  Robert, at 26, was the oldest of their group and trying to keep an eye out on not just their youngest brother, but all of the men. 

“I like a decent beer. Don’t tell Papa though!”  Jean-Luc snorted and raised his whisky in a toast. “To defying Papa!”  The two brothers clinked their glasses and laughed.  While Robert only defied their father by drinking beer, Jean-Luc had gone to the extreme when he joined Starfleet.  Claude joined his older brothers.

“Are we toasting?” Robert rolled his eyes at his youngest brother and exchanged a grin with Jean-Luc. Baiting Claude had always been a favourite past time between the two. “No. Go back to your girl.”

“Eh, I didn’t really like her. She’s not as good of a kisser as Missy.”  Walker heard this and raised his eyebrows.

“My sister? You kissed my sister?” 

“Uhm...yes?”  Walker’s eyes blazed.  “That better be all you did with her!” Claude looked at his drink. “Not that I didn’t try to do more...”  Jean-Luc’s eyes went wide and he grabbed Walker around his chest before he had a chance to hit his brother. 

“Walker, I’m sure that’s not what Claude meant.”  Walker glared at Claude. “I’m going to the bar. Another round?” 

Jean-Luc watched Walker’s retreating back and turned to his brother.  “Claude...don’t provoke Walker. He’s very protective of Missy.  We _all_ are.”

“How come you’re not protective of me?” 

“Do you need protecting?”

“No.”

“I rest my case.”  Jean-Luc looked around the dim club.  “Uh...anyone see Corey?”  Jack joined his friend in scanning the crowd.  “It’s not like he’s easy to miss...tall...carrot topped....” 

“Well, I’m sure he’ll show back up.  Now then, Johnny. You are woefully behind me.  I think I’ll go get us some more shots.”

“Walker went to the bar to get drinks.”

“Ah, but how many?”

Jack insisted that Jean-Luc match him drink for drink and Robert looked on with a watchful eye.  He really hoped Beverly had packed something for a hangover, because he was sure his brother would be suffering in the morning.  Robert grinned as slender hands went to cover Jean-Luc’s eyes and whispered “guess who?” in his ear.  Marie came to Robert’s side and grasped his hand.   Robert spoke low to his girlfriend as he watched his Brother and his bride. “What brings you here?”

“Marta cooked it up with Corey.  Corey was waiting for us outside and brought us here.”  Robert squeezed her hand and kept an eye on Jean-Luc.

“Who is this?”

“Guess whooooo?” the voice sang in his ear.  It was familiar and yet...different.  Jean-Luc put his glass down and raised his hands to touch the hands covering his eyes.  His fingers caressed a familiar ring.  “Beverly?”  She removed her hands and leaned down and kissed his cheek.

“Surprise!”  Jean-Luc grinned and pulled Beverly into his lap.  “I’d say so.  Who do I thank for this wonderful surprise?”

“Corey and Marta.” Jean-Luc deeply kissed her and she made a face. “Ugh, you taste like whisky. How much have you had?”  Jean-Luc shrugged. “Ask Jack.”  Beverly shook her head. 

“Right. Well, I want to dance with my groom.”  She slid off his lap and held out her hand. 

“Beverly...you know I don’t dance well.”

“Mmm, I say you do. And _I_ want to dance.”  Jean-Luc reluctantly left his seat and let Beverly pull him out onto the dance floor.  Walker chuckled. “Wrapped around her finger.” 


	9. Chapter 9

Beverly studied herself in the full-length mirror Yvette had had Jean-Luc and Robert drag into Jean-Luc’s bedroom for her.  She thought she would just wear a cadet dress uniform, but Yvette talked her out of it and she was wearing a long, simple pale gold gown made of satin.  The pale gold set off the gold in her hair, and Yvette had insisted Beverly wear her veil from when she married Maurice, and the frothy veil was arranged over her hair.   “Lookin’ good, Bev!”  Beverly turned around startled. 

“Wally!”  She embraced her best friend. “How’s Jean-Luc?” 

“I think he’ll be alright as soon as he sees you walking towards him.  Thanks for the hangover cures, by the way.  Now, give us a twirl.”  Beverly blushed but spun for her friend and the small train of her gown swirled around her legs.  “Marvellous,  Bev.  Absolutely marvellous.”

“You think so?”  Walker nodded.  “I saw Marta and Missy downstairs.  Missy loves her dress, by the way.”  Beverly smiled. “I knew she would.  Are Jack and Corey with Jean-Luc?” 

“Yep.  And Robert, Claude, and Louis.” 

“So since I stole you to be my Man of Honour, who did Jean-Luc wind up asking to be his Best Man?”  Walker grinned.  “Last I heard, Jack and Corey were still arguing over it, so Jean-Luc decided to ask Robert.”  Beverly laughed.  “And you have Jean-Luc’s ring?”  Walker nodded and patted his breast pocket.  “Are you ready?  Yvette has your bouquet downstairs. And you’re _sure_ you want me to escort you down the aisle?”  Beverly nodded.  Walker held out his arm to his friend. “Then, shall we get you married?” 

 Walker escorted Beverly onto the grounds of the vineyard and out across to the small clearing at the bottom of the hill with Jean-Luc’s stargazing tree.  Jean-Luc, Robert, and Claude built an arbour at the foot, and Yvette and Marie had it teaming with flowers.  Beverly’s Nana and great-grandmother were sitting in the front row with a younger man Beverly assumed was her great-grandmother’s carer next to them with Jean-Luc’s parents on the other side of the carer.  There were a few friends of the Picard family there, but since Beverly didn’t have many friends or family on Earth who weren’t in the wedding party, they chose to have everyone sit wherever they wanted. 

Jean-Luc stood under the arbour in front of Walker’s father who would be performing the ceremony.  Next to Jean-Luc stood Robert, Claude, Louis, Jack, and Corey and on the other side stood Missy, Marie, Marta, and two of Beverly’s friends from her pre-med classes.  Walker escorted Beverly up the aisle and placed her hand into Jean-Luc’s.  “You take care of her, Johnny.”  Jean-Luc’s eyes sparkled as he gazed at his bride for the first time.  As he leaned forward to help her remove her veil from her face, he whispered, “You look beautiful,”  and he kissed her cheek.

Captain Keel led them in their simple vows.  Jean-Luc hadn’t wanted any words about obeying in the vows, so they simply swore their love for each other and promised to remain together until death parted them.  Beverly’s fingers shook as she placed Jean-Luc’s band on his finger.  “With this ring, I wed thee...I love you, Jean-Luc.”  Jean-Luc grinned and took Beverly’s ring from Robert and slipped it onto her finger repeating the same words.

When Captain Keel pronounced them married, their friends cheered while Jean-Luc dipped Beverly in a long kiss. 

###

Jean-Luc swayed with his wife to the soft music and couldn’t help but get a thrill as he thought of her as his wife.  _My wife. How did I get this lucky?_   Jean-Luc was 21, and found the love of his life.  Everyone should be so lucky.  He leaned down and kissed Beverly. “I love you.”

“I should hope so, otherwise this dress was a waste.”  Jean-Luc chuckled. “Have I told you how beautiful you look?”

“I don’t mind hearing it again.  You know, you look pretty sexy in your dress uniform.  When can we slip away?”

“Hmm.  Soon, I hope.”  Beverly grinned at her husband. “By the way, I love you too.”

Walker and his boyfriend, Marcal, danced over towards the newlyweds.  “So is it Mr and Mrs Picard, or Mr and Mrs Howard?”  Beverly laughed. “Picard. Nana and Grammy weren’t entirely happy with me, but honestly, I want to be a Picard.” 

“Mm, I’m secretly glad.  I’m not sure Jean-Luc Howard sounds as nice as Beverly Picard does.  Oh, look, your grammy is dancing with her carer. What did you say his name was? Roman?” 

“Ronin, I think.” Beverly watched her great-grandmother in the arms of the younger man and gasped when Ronin kissed her grammy. “Well, I guess he’s more than just Grammy’s carer.”  Jean-Luc wrapped his arm around Beverly and kissed her temple. “I only hope Grammy is as happy as we are.”

Jack tapped on a glass to get everyone’s attention.  “Ladies and gentlemen,  I’d like to raise a toast to my best friends, Jean-Luc and Beverly.  Who knew the morning I woke up to watching them go at it like rabbits that today—“ Jack was cut off as Walker dragged him away from the microphone.  Beverly’s face was bright red and Jean-Luc’s wasn’t far off.  Fortunately, everyone was laughing and assumed Jack was drunk...though Jean-Luc suspected he wasn’t and that he had planned on embarrassing them.  Walker took to the mic. “Sorry, everyone.  I think what Jack was trying to say was that it’s once in a lifetime where you find your true love and find them so early on in life.  And Beverly and Jean-Luc are that couple.  You guys are amazing.  I love you both so much.” He raised his glass. “To Bev and Johnny!” 

###

Beverly had drunk far too much champagne at their reception and collapsed in a fit of giggles onto the bed in the chalet they were staying at for the night.  Somehow, it didn’t feel right to spend their wedding night at Jean-Luc’s parent’s house, so they rented a small chalet in the next village over.  They had opted to wait on a honeymoon as they wanted to save their money so they could see each other more frequently next year, when Jean-Luc would be off on a starship and Beverly would be completing her studies at Medical.  Classes at the Academy started back up in three weeks, so they would spend two more weeks in La Barre with Jean-Luc’s family before returning to the apartment they shared with their friends. 

Jean-Luc gazed down at his wife with adoration . “Don’t you fall asleep on me!  I have plans for you tonight!”  Beverly opened one eye and looked over at her husband.  “Mmm. Well, you’re going to have to come to me.  I can’t move.” 

Jean-Luc flopped down next to her on the bed and pulled her towards him and began kissing her.  “Mm, I think someone drank a little too much champagne at her own party...”

“Well...it was _my_ party.  And people kept refilling my glass....”  Jean-Luc chuckled.  “Mm.  Think you can manage to stand up so I can get you out of this dress?” 

“For that?  I think I can muster up the strength.”  Beverly slowly rose and Jean-Luc stood behind her and slowly unzipped her dress.  He pushed it off her shoulders until the dress became a pool of gold at Beverly’s feet.  She stepped out of her dress and turned around to reach for Jean-Luc.  She found the clasp and zip on the back of Jean-Luc’s dress uniform and dragged it down.  “I thought you were tired?”

“I seem to have found my second wind...”

###

When Jean-Luc woke up in the morning, Beverly was already awake and was admiring her rings.  “Still can’t quite believe we did it, can you?”  Beverly shook her head.  “It’s going to take me a while to get used to calling you my husband and not my fiancé or boyfriend.”  Jean-Luc sat up and dotted kisses on her neck and shoulder.  “I, on the other hand, relish in calling you my wife. _My_ wife.  No one else’s.” 

“Someone’s being possessive.”

“I think I can be allowed just this once.”  Beverly laughed and stretched as her stomach rumbled. Jean-Luc laughed. “Hungry, my wife?”

“I seem to have worked up an appetite last night.”  Jean-Luc grinned. “Fortunately, out in the main room there should be a replicator and we can have whatever we want.”  Beverly got up from the bed and padded naked into the adjoining room and returned with a plate and two forks. 

“Cake?”

“Well...tell me any other time when we can eat cake naked in bed?” 

“You may have a point, my love.” 

After they finished their cake and took a very long shower together, Beverly was lovingly placing her wedding dress into a garment bag. “It’s such a shame I can only wear this once.  I love this dress.”

“Are you going to keep it?”

“Oh, yes. Maybe someday we’ll have a daughter who might want it....” Jean-Luc raised his eyebrows.  “Someday?”

“I was thinking after medical school if that’s alright with you.”  She leaned over and kissed his nose. “That’s fine by me.  Hopefully, we can be stationed together. I don’t think I would want you to raise our child without me.” 

“I agree.  So we won’t have babies until we know we can serve together?”

“Sounds like a plan to me. And keep the dress.  I bet Maman could do a few things and change the dress so you could wear it to the Cadet’s Ball next year.”

“Good idea.”  Beverly carefully zipped up the garment bag and slung it over her shoulder. “Alright, I’m ready.”  Jean-Luc took the bag from Beverly and added it to his own and held out his free hand for her to claps. “Then, Mrs Picard, shall we?”

###

Back in La Barre, their friends were waiting for them. “We wanted to see you before we left again,” Walker explained. 

“Where’s Marcal?” 

“Robert took him riding.  I didn’t fancy riding a horse.”  Beverly let out a very loud snort.  “ _Beverly Picard!_ I’m shocked at you....but yeah,  I know.”  Walker grinned at his friend and Jean-Luc just glanced between his wife and best friend. “Do I want to know?”

“Probably not.”   Jean-Luc just shook his head. 

“Is Missy still here?”

“Claude took her to the barn to see the kittens.”  Beverly and Jean-Luc then exchanged a glance. “Uhh....guys...there _are_ kittens in the barn, right?”

“Oh, yes. We have lots of barn cats, but uhh....that’s not the only reason you take a pretty girl into the barn....” Walker paled. “Jean-Luc, I’m going to kill your brother.”

“Walker....let them be.  Your sister is smart enough not to get herself in trouble, and I know Claude has had everything drilled into his head by Papa.” 

“Does Claude have an implant?”  Jean-Luc frowned. “I don’t know.  Robert took me to get mine when I was sixteen and he had been taken to get his by a friend.  I’m sure Robert took care of it.  And even so, doesn’t Missy have one?”

“Uhh....”

“She does.  She asked me about it last year and I took her to get hers.”

“Thanks, Bev.  You know, Missy really looks to you like you’re her big sister.”  Beverly smiled. “I’m glad, Wally.  I don’t have any siblings, so I just have you lot....and now I’m stuck with this one.”  She jerked her thumb at Jean-Luc and grinned. “Not that I would have it any other way,”  she leaned over and kissed Jean-Luc. Over his shoulder, she saw the barn door open and she giggled.  “Well, no  need to worry, here come Missy and Claude now.” 

Missy’s hair was mussed and she had straw stuck to her hair.  Claude had a large grin on his face and Walker took a step towards him, but once again, Jean-Luc held him back. “Walker...no.  Let them be.”

Missy glanced over at Beverly and Beverly inclined her head and Missy nodded.  Beverly kissed Jean-Luc’s cheek. “Sorry, girl talk time...”

“Bev...”

“Don’t worry, Walker.  She’ll be fine.”

###

Yvette glanced at the crowded table and smiled. “I do love when all of Jean-Luc’s friends are here with him, don’t you?”  Maurice merely grunted at his wife and continued to eat his dinner, despite the lively conversations going on around him.    Jack turned to Marie. “It really isn’t fair. Everyone is paired off, except for me. Don’t you have a friend you could introduce me to?”  Marie laughed.  “Would you want to date a French girl?”  Jack grinned and looked at Robert. “Is it true what they say about French girls?” 

“Is what true?”

“That they are-“  A hand clamped down over his mouth.  “I’m not sure that’s appropriate dinner table discussion, Jackie.”  Walker suddenly pulled his hand away in disgust. “Ugh. He licked me.”

“Don’t cover my mouth then!”  Corey laughed.  “Better go get that hand disinfected. You don’t know where that hand has been!”  Walker wiped his hand on his trouser leg. “So gross.  Excuse me, Mrs Picard.” 

“Which one, dear?”

“Which one what?”

“Which Mrs Picard? There are two of us...soon to be three, you know.” Marie blushed and Beverly grinned. “Ugh, Bev, you’re not going to make me call you Mrs Picard, are you?”

“Hmm....Yes.  Until next year.”

“Why next year?”

“Well, then you can call me Doctor Picard.” Walker rolled his eyes.  “It’s a good thing I love you, Bev.”

“Oi, get your own.  How many times do I have to tell you?!”  Jean-Luc grinned at his best friend.  Walker clapped a hand on Marcal’s shoulder. “Got one, thanks.”

“Ugh, was that the hand Jack licked?”  Walker sheepishly looked at his boyfriend. “Sorry...” 

Beverly glanced over at the corner where Missy and Claude were sitting.  It was obvious the two were smitten with each other, and Beverly hoped the relationship lasted.  She gave a happy sigh and leaned against Jean-Luc.  He leaned down and dropped a kiss on her head. “What are you thinking about, my wife?”

“Oh, just hoping everyone at this table will be as happy as we are.”  Jean-Luc reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. “I’m sure they will be.” 

###

Summer break was soon over, and Jean-Luc and Beverly were packing up their belongings from their bedroom when Yvette bustled into the room with Beverly’s dress over her arm.  She handed it to her daughter-in-law.  “I removed the train and made it a bit less wedding dress, and more of a formal dress for you.”  Beverly took the dress and held it up in front of herself in the mirror. “It’s beautiful, Mrs...Maman.”  Beverly blushed. She was still trying to get used to calling Jean-Luc’s parents Maman and Papa.  “Thank you.  I can’t wait to wear this to the Cadet’s ball.”  Jean-Luc groaned. “I suppose this means I’ll have to wear a dress uniform again?” 

“Yep.”

“I suppose I could do it for you.” Yvette beamed at her son.  She was so pleased he had found someone, and that that someone was Beverly.  “Beverly, I want you to know that you are welcome here any time. This is your home.  After next year, when Jean-Luc is off in those stars, if you ever need a break and want to come home, please don’t hesitate to come here.”  Beverly smiled with tears in her eyes. “Thank you, Maman.”

“I expect to see you both at Christmas this year.”

“Yes, Maman.”   When Yvette left the bedroom, Jean-Luc drew Beverly into his arms. “Are you happy, my love?”

“Yes,” Beverly said as she carefully folded her gold dress and added it to their trunk.  “Ok, I think that’s the last of it.”  Beverly closed the trunk with a loud thump.  “Can you carry it to the transportation center?” 

“I think I can manage.”

 


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time jump!

Jean-Luc carried the last of the boxes into the small two-bedroom apartment.  “Are you sure this place is big enough for you and Marcol?”  Beverly nodded.  “I mean, it’s not like we need a lot of space for socialising.  We have plenty of room to study.  And you and Walker will only be here sporadically, so I think it will be fine.”  She kissed him.  “But I hate that you won’t be living here with me.”

“Me too. But, I have my assignment!  Captain Hanson has chosen me to be Flight Controller on the _USS New Orleans_!”  He swung Beverly around and kissed her soundly. “Oh, that’s wonderful!  And the nola....that’s a new class of ship, isn’t it?”  Jean-Luc nodded.  “And the best part, is we leave from Starbase Earhart a month after graduation, so we have plenty of time together before I have to leave.”  Beverly smiled, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes, which had filled with tears. “I’m sorry, Beverly.  I’m not happy about having to leave you, believe me...but....this is exciting, right?”  She nodded and wiped her tears away. “I’m just being silly.  We knew this was our plans.  You would go into deep space, I would complete my medical degree, and then we would look to be stationed together.  Four years.  We can do this.”  Jean-Luc kissed her again. “We can.  And we can talk over subspace as often as we want...I already cleared it with Captain Hanson.” 

Behind him, Walker cleared his throat.  “Sorry, lovebirds.  Don’t mean to interrupt.” 

“Yes you do.”

“Ok, I do.  But I have great news!  We’ll _all_ be departing from Starbase Earhart  so we can all be together one more time before being scattered to the stars.”  Beverly grinned at her husband, “Well, there goes our idea of having a honeymoon.”

“Compromise? You guys go on a honeymoon but meet us there for the last two weeks?”  Beverly nodded.  “I guess we could do that.  Will Marcal go with you?  I don’t want to have to make the trip back to Earth alone.”  Walker nodded.  “Good. Right, I’m going to go research beach holidays...if you’ll both excuse me....”

“A beach holiday, eh Johnny?”  He grinned at his friend.  Jean-Luc nodded. “Probably somewhere on Earth so we can save a bit of money,”  Jean-Luc glanced at Walker. “And we aren’t telling any of you where we’re going!”

“Aw, but Johnny!”

“Don’t ‘aw Johnny’ me. I know you guys.” 

“We just want to make it special for you....”

“No. In fact,” Jean-Luc raised his voice. “Bev, Sweetheart, don’t book anything on your console. I don’t trust Walker, Jack, and Corey.”  Walker frowned. “Fine, fine. Have it your way. 

###

Jean-Luc’s mother  and Claude came to graduation.  “Robert wanted to come along, but your father said he needed his help.”  Jean-Luc frowned. He and Robert had finally reconciled and it would have been nice to see him again.  “It’s alright, Maman. You’re here.”  Jean-Luc leaned forward and kissed his mother on her cheeks. “Where’s that daughter-in-law of mine?”  Jean-Luc scanned the crowd for her familiar red mane.  “Over there. With Walker and Missy.” 

“Missy’s here?” Claude’s smile brightened. “Excuse me Maman, I’ll be right back.”  Jean-Luc rolled his eyes at his younger brother’s retreating back. “I see he’s still smitten with Missy.” 

“They’ve been speaking almost daily.  I told Claude to invite her for part of the summer. I understand she’ll be starting at the Academy ?” 

“Yes, she passed her exams last month.  Has Claude decided what he’s doing?”  Yvette shook her head. “No, but you know your brother.  Papa and I always hoped...but then, I suppose we did spoil him after his accident.”

“Only a _little_ , Maman.”  Yvette patted his arm. “But look at you! Graduated from Starfleet Academy...about to go off into the stars...married to a lovely girl.  I’m so proud of you, Jean-Luc.”

“Thank you, Maman.” Claude bounded back up to Jean-Luc and Yvette.  “Bev said I could come sleep on her couch anytime!  I’ll get to see Missy!”  Jean-Luc grinned at his younger brother. “Just remember, Beverly is in medical school and Missy will be in her first year.  They will have a lot of studying to do. I don’t want to hear you were bothering Beverly every weekend.”

“Yes, Jean-Luc.”

“Besides, who is going to pay for your transportation?  Surely not Maman and Papa.”  Claude hung his head. “I hadn’t thought about that.  I guess I had better get a job...”

“Yes, I guess you had better.” Yvette glanced between her two younger sons.  “Why don’t we get Beverly, Missy, Walker and that adorable boyfriend of his and all get something to eat together? And where are your other friends?”

“Probably with their families, Maman.  Walker’s parents are here, too.”

“Invite them too!”  Jean-Luc shot his mother an amused look. “Where will we all go?” 

“Home?” 

“Maman, you want to invite all my friends and their families to La Barre? Won’t Papa be upset with you?” Yvette shook her head. “Nonsense. I told him I would ask you and Beverly to come home for dinner.  We’ll just have...a few extra guests.  Now go and ask your friends to join us. Tell them to come to the Vineyard at....hmm.  Eight. I need time to prepare the food.”

“Yes, Maman.”

###

Everyone came to the vineyard.  Jean-Luc looked around the tables set up in the garden and grinned at his wife. “Well, Maman managed to get us home.  What you want to bet she gets us to spend the night, too?”  Beverly grinned. “Uhm.  I already told her we would...”  Jean-Luc rolled his eyes at his wife. “Thank you, Ensign Picard.”

“You’re welcome, Ensign Picard.”  They both laughed.  “What do you think, Jean-Luc, will you make Captain by the time I become qualified as a doctor?”

“Four years?  I think that might be a bit of a stretch for even me. But maybe Lieutenant Commander by then.”  Beverly kissed him.

“Hmm. Captain by 30, for you.  And then I can be your CMO.”  Jean-Luc wrapped his arm around Beverly.  “I hope so.” 

In the morning after a large breakfast prepared by Yvette, Jean-Luc and Beverly returned to their new apartment to pack for their long-awaited honeymoon.   Beverly had found a resort in the south pacific where each cabana was set out miles from another, they would have a private beach, and a replicator to provide them with anything they would want to eat.  It was going to be just the two of them alone for two blissful weeks...and Beverly couldn’t wait. 

They materialised in the middle of their cabana.  Propped up against a bottle of wine on the table was a note from the resort, telling them the resort respected their guest’s privacy and no one would bother them unless they called for someone.  Jean-Luc grinned.  This was exactly what he and Beverly needed.  A quiet honeymoon with no one else around.  Not that they didn’t enjoy living with all of their friends this past year, but it had been hard for the couple to really get to spend a lot of time just the two of us unless they were in their room – there was always a roommate around who wanted to hang out. But here...they were alone.  Jean-Luc carried their bags into the bedroom and let out a gasp. 

“What is it, Jean-Luc?”

“Come here and look, Beverly. This is beautiful.  We must be in the wrong cabana...I know we couldn’t have afforded this much luxury.  Not on the budget we set...”  Jean-Luc spied another small note on the middle of the bed and he opened it.

_Bev & JL –_

_You may have tried to keep your location a secret, but we still found out.  Consider your upgrade a belated wedding present.  We love you and we promise not to bother you for two weeks._

_Love,_

_Marta, Corey, Walker, Jack, Robert, & Marie_

Beverly came into the bedroom and gasped as Jean-Luc passed her the note. “It seems our dear friends and my brother have arranged for the upgrade.”  Beverly smirked. “Well, I’m not going to say no to it, are you?”  Jean-Luc shook his head.  He then picked her up and laid her down in the middle of the bed before climbing on top of the bed with her. He kissed her deeply. “Well, Mrs Picard....ready for your honeymoon?” 

“Mm,  We have on entirely too much clothing and I’d like to explore the cabana a bit....”  Jean-Luc pretended to pout but rolled off of her.  Beverly got off the bed and walked to the French doors. “Jean-Luc, we have our own private swimming pool out here!”  Beverly started peeling off her clothing. “Thought you wanted to explore the place first?”

“That was before I found the pool. Come on!”  Beverly threw her bra at Jean-Luc and he grinned as he tugged off his own clothing.  It was going to be a _very_ fun vacation.

Jean-Luc watched his wife as she swam laps in their small pool, her bare behind dipping up out of the water with each kick.  He dove in after her and swam over and caught her around her hips.  She turned around and wrapped her arms around his neck and lifted her legs to wrap them around his waist before she kissed him.  He splayed his hands across her backside and squeezed.  Beverly gently bit down on his ear. “You know, I’ve always wondered what it would be like to make love in the water....”

###

Beverly giggled as she repacked her bag. “You know, the only thing I wore for the past two weeks has been my dressing gown?”  Jean-Luc grinned at her. “I know. Seems a shame to have to wear clothing now...”

“Well, we can hardly show up on the transporter pad at Starfleet naked, now can we.” 

“Hmm, I suppose not.  And I _do_ have to pack up for my first assignment.”  Beverly sighed. 

“I know, my love. I know.  But before you know it, it will be my first shore leave.” 

“I know.  I just...don’t want to think about us being separated.”  Jean-Luc wrapped his arms around her from behind. “Mm, then don’t think about it right now.  We still have one more night before we need to return to the real world.” 

“I like the way your mind works.”

###

When Beverly and Jean-Luc arrived back at their apartment, Jean-Luc busied himself packing everything he would want to take with him on the _USS New Orleans_ , and Beverly packed her own bag for the two weeks she would be away.  After Jean-Luc departed, she and Marcal would return to Earth, where they would have another month before their classes started up.  Beverly planned on spending some of her time in La Barre with her in-laws, hoping that spending time there would distract her from being apart from her husband.  She and Jean-Luc hadn’t spent a single day apart since they had started dating, so it would be very strange for her to go months on end without seeing him.

Jean-Luc ran a finger over one of their wedding photos lovingly and packed it into his bag.  He would sit it on his bedside table in his quarters, and he didn’t care what his roommates might say.  He wanted to go to sleep every night looking at Beverly and he wanted her picture to be the first thing he saw when he woke up since he couldn’t see her. He twirled his wedding band around his finger.  He was glad they had married last Summer instead of this one...he was glad they had had their first year together. They would miss spending their first wedding anniversary together, but in the grand scheme of things, it was a small miss.  The next four years would be hard for them, but Jean-Luc was determined to take every single bit of shore leave he was offered.  He shouldered his bag and went out into the shared living room.  Marcal was already on Airbase Earhart  with Walker, so the place was empty.  “Bev, love, are you ready?  The shuttle to the base leaves in an hour.” 

“I’m ready.  At least we have three more days alone.  I’m just...I’m not ready to say goodbye to you yet.”  Jean-Luc ran a finger down her cheek. “I know, my love.  I know.  We still have two more weeks.  Let’s enjoy the time together, alright?”  She nodded. “I’ll try not to cry too much.”

“If you need to cry...you go ahead.  I might join you.  I love you.”  He placed a gentle kiss on her lips and she smiled against them.  “I love you too.” 

The three day shuttle ride was too short for both their liking, but to their surprise, Walker and Marcal were waiting for them as they debarked the shuttle.  Beverly greeted Walker with a hug .

“Where’s everyone else?”

“Uhh...Corey and Marta are in their room and Jack has a date.” Jean-Luc rolled his eyes. “Of course he does.”  Walker took Beverly’s bag off her shoulder. “You guys are sharing a suite with me and Marcal if that’s alright.”  Beverly and Jean-Luc nodded.  At least they would have their own bedroom. 

Several hours later, they found their friends playing Dom-Jot in the lounge.  Corey was getting fairly good at it and Jack was complaining he was losing all his money and suggested Jean-Luc and Beverly give it ago.  They played a few rounds before retreating to a table in the corner.  Beverly settled into Jean-Luc’s lap and kissed him. “You know, if we were at home we could be at the Tally-Ho! and having a _lot_ more fun...”  Jean-Luc slid his arms around Beverly’s hips and whispered into her ear, “we could go back to our room...”

“Yes, please.” She stood up and pulled on Jean-Luc’s hand.  “Come on, I bet we won’t be missed.”  Beverly lead Jean-Luc out of the lounge and Jack nudged Corey.  “I win the bet. I told you they wouldn’t last long before they went back to their room.”  Corey rolled his eyes but passed over the slip of latinum to his friend.  “You know guys, they’re about to be split up. It can’t be easy for them, and we shouldn’t be making bets about them.” 

“Wally, don’t be a party pooper. It’s just a bit of fun.” 

“Whatever. Don’t come crying to me when Beverly kicks your ass for betting on her marriage.” 

“I still can’t believe they got married.”  Marta leaned into Corey.  “Why? You want to?”

“No!  But it’s kind of romantic, isn’t it?”  Jack rolled his eyes. “Nah. Johnny can only sleep with one person for the rest of his life...no thanks.  On the other hand, it _is_ Beverly....”  Marta smacked Jack in the chest. “Oi, don’t let Bev or Johnny hear you talking like that.  Besides, haven’t you been with at least one girl every day since we got here?”

“Oops, that reminds me. I have a date. See you guys later!”

“Wasn’t he on a date earlier?”  Corey shrugged and ordered another drink.  He and Marta were a steady couple, but neither of them entertained thoughts that it would last forever. He liked Marta well enough, but he had only been joking when he asked her if she wanted to get married.  He supposed they would break things off when they each went their separate ways, and he was alright with that.  Unless Marta wanted some kind of commitment.  He might have joked about getting married, but he would date long-distance if she wanted.

###

Their time was nearly up.  Jean-Luc had gotten better at Dom-jot, but he wasn’t as good as Corey, who was rapidly running out of opponents.  When the four Nausicaans came into the lounge,  Jean-Luc suspected trouble. 

The first night, they beat Corey, Walker, Jack, and Jean-Luc.  Beverly and Marta flat out refused to play against the Nausicaans who made them feel uneasy, and Marcal didn’t play.  The three of them would sit at a table, drink, and watch the game unfold.  Several times it looked as though the human team should have been winning....but the Nausicaans won every round. 

“I want a rematch!”  Corey shouted at them. 

“Puny human think he can beat me?” 

“Yeah, yeah I do!”

“Tomorrow, human. We will play and we will win.”  The Nausicaans stalked out of the room and Beverly and Marta joined the group. “I think those Nausicaans are cheating.” 

“What do you mean, Bev?”

“I was watching them, and every time one of your balls got close, he would tap his pocket.”  Jean-Luc pondered his wife’s words. “Magnets.” 

“Huh?”  Corey shot his friend a puzzled look.

“I bet he’s using magnets. And I bet we can rig the table to work against his magnets.” 

“But...that’s cheating. Jean-Luc...”  Beverly gave her husband a stern look. “I know it’s technically cheating, but is it really cheating to cheat the cheaters?” 

“When you put it that way...what do we do?” 

“We’ll have to sneak back in after the bar closes tonight.  We’ll need some lookouts and someone to disable the security system.  I think Corey and I can handle the table.” 

“I can handle the security system.”

“Thanks, Marta.”

They managed to sneak back into the lounge and Corey and Jean-Luc rigged the table in less than ten minutes.  “There. Tomorrow, the Nausicaan’s won’t be able to cheat.”   

That night as Jean-Luc held Beverly he asked her if she thought they were wrong to rig the table.  She just kissed him and told him to stop worrying.

The game was heated.  Corey was playing well against his Nausicaan opponent, and Jean-Luc noticed the one who kept hitting his pocket was getting frustrated.  It all came to a head when Corey managed to win a game. The Nausicaan shoved the Dom-jot table on it’s side. “You humans cheated!”

Corey pulled himself up to his full height, which admittedly still wasn’t nearly as tall as a Nausicaan. “Well then, it takes one to know one, doesn’t it?”  The Nausicaan lashed out and punched Corey and he went flying backwards.  Jean-Luc and Jack joined in the fray and Jean-Luc had just managed to topple one of the Nausicaans when he felt a sharp pain in his back.  He looked down, and there was a large knife protruding from his chest, and his blood was flowing thickly.  He looked up, and the last thing he saw was Beverly being held back by Walker screaming and crying.  He locked eyes with her and mouthed “I love you” before he was consumed by darkness. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't kill me.


	11. Chapter 11

Someone pulled out a phaser and stunned the four Nausicaans. Beverly broke free from Walker’s grip and ran to her husband.  She cradled his head in her lap and her tears splashed onto his face while she tried to take his vitals. He was losing so much blood and his pulse was falling.  She reached for his limp hand and squeezed it. “I love you, Jean-Luc. Please don’t die on me.”

The Medics arrived quickly and assessed the situation.  They had to have Walker pry Beverly away from Jean-Luc so they could work on him, and she turned her head into Walker’s chest and wept as she listened to the medical chatter.  Words like electrocardiogram, angiotensin,  and ischemia filtered through to Beverly.   They thought he might be a hopeless case. They couldn’t staunch the bleeding and Jean-Luc was losing too much blood much to fast. The medics decided the best option would be to put him in stasis until they could get a heart specialist there and speak with his next of kin.  Walker finally spoke up and told the medic Beverly was his wife, so they let Beverly and Walker accompany Jean-Luc to the hospital, where Beverly affirmed that she wanted them to make every attempt to save Jean-Luc’s life.  Beverly leaned over Jean-Luc and placed a kiss on his blue-tinged lips before the stasis chamber was lowered over his body. 

She refused to leave his side after they wheeled him into a private room.  She was covered in his blood, but she wouldn’t leave him.  Walker called Marcal and had him bring over some clean clothing for her, but she didn’t want to leave him in case something happened and he needed her.  Walker drew his arms around her. “Sweetheart, they put Jean-Luc in stasis.  You know what that means.  You’re studying to be a doctor.  He’ll be fine for ten minutes.  Come on, let’s get you cleaned up.”  Beverly shook her head stubbornly.  “Wally, I can’t leave him..I won’t leave him.” 

“Bev, the bathroom is that door over there. You’ll be less than ten feet away from him.  He’ll be fine. I promise.  You can even leave the door open.  Do you need any help?”  Beverly whimpered and nodded at her best friend.  “I’ll get Marta to come and help you.” 

“Can’t you?”  Walker gave her a warm smile. “Sure, Bev.  I can help you.” Walker guided Beverly into the bathroom and gently peeled off her blood soaked clothing and tossed them into a bag. He wasn’t sure if she would want to ever wear the dress again, but he figured he would get it cleaned for her anyway.  “Bev, love, I’m going to turn the shower on for you.  Can you get in and get your underwear off on your own?”   Walker rummaged in the bag Marcal brought over. “Marc grabbed your shampoo. Do you want to wash your hair? It has a little bit of Jean-Luc’s blood in it.”  Beverly handed over her delicate rings, which Walker put on his pinky finger.  Walker noticed Beverly still seemed to be in a daze.  He motioned for Marcal to enter the bathroom. “Marc, baby, I need you to hold Beverly’s rings and _do not let them off your finger_.  I’m going to have to help her.”  Walker stripped down to his boxers and got into the shower stall with Beverly. 

“Bev, come on, let’s get your bra off.”  Beverly wrapped her arms around Walker and sobbed. Walker wrapped his arms around her back and fumbled under the spray to get off her bra.  _What are these things? Fort Knox?_  “Bev, you don’t have to take off your knickers, but you have some dry knickers to put on after, alright?”  Beverly nodded and let Walker guide her under the spray. “There we go.  Do you want me to wash your hair for you?”  Beverly nodded again.  “Alright, I can do that for you.”  Walker gently washed Beverly’s hair for her and took a washcloth and washed away Jean-Luc’s blood from her chest, arms, hands, and legs.  Walker turned off the shower and pulled the hospital provided towel around Beverly.  It wasn’t a very soft towel, but it would do the job. “Can you get off your knickers?  We have dry ones for you.”  Beverly nodded and slid her soaked knickers to the floor. “Well,  I meant under the towel, but ok.”  Walker knelt at Beverly’s feet and placed her feet one by one into her dry knickers and pulled them up her legs for her.  “There.  Do you want a clean bra on?”  She shook her head.  “Good, because I’m not sure I can work the clasp.”  Beverly cracked a smile. “Ah, there’s that beautiful smile. Marc brought you a simple dress. Lift your arms up, babe.”  Beverly obediently raised her arms and Walker slid the dress over her arms and head.  “There you go.  We have shoes for you, too. And a cardigan in case you get cold.  Marc thought of everything.  Want me to brush your hair?”

“Rings?”  Walker grinned. “Marc, can Bev have her rings back?”  Marcal passed Beverly’s rings back through the crack in the door.  “Thanks, love. Here you go, one engagement ring and one wedding ring tying you to Jean-Luc Picard forever.”  He slipped her rings back onto her finger and Beverly’s other hand immediately went to finger them.  Walker grabbed her brush and began to detangle her hair.  “I know you like Johnny brushing your hair, but I’m afraid I won’t be as good as him at it.  I sometimes had to brush Melissa’s for her and she taught me how to braid hair on her dolls.  Do you want a braid?” 

“Ok.”  Walker deftly braided her hair for her and when they were done, he deposited the brush back into her bag.  “All done.  Just let me get changed quickly.”  Beverly turned her back while Walker changed out of his wet boxers and into some clean ones. He chuckled to himself since Beverly had basically stripped in front of him with no problem, but was giving him privacy.  He quickly pulled on his trousers and a clean shirt. “Alright, I’m dressed again.”  Beverly clutched Walker’s hand as they walked back into the room and she focussed her eyes on Jean-Luc.  The stasis bubble covered him completely. All she wanted to do was touch him, but she couldn’t.  Walker walked over to the squashy armchair next t Jean-Lucs bed and sat down and pulled Beverly onto his lap.  “He’s going to be ok, Bev.  This is Starfleet.  They’re getting a heart specialist. A Vulcan. She’s apparently the best.”

“You know all this?”

“I might have...done some eavesdropping.  But the doctor said he would come and talk to you soon.  I told him I was your brother so I could stay with you...I didn’t think you should be alone.”

“Thank you.  Maman?”

“I haven’t called La Barre yet.  Would you like me to?”

“Please. Ask Maman to come....Jean-Luc....he would want her here.”  Walker gently slid out from under Beverly.  “You’ll be ok with Marc?” 

“Yeah.  Marta, Jack, and Corey?” 

“I think they’re in the waiting room. Do you want them in here?”  She nodded.  “I’ll send them in when I go to call the Picards.” 

“Thank you, Wally...Love you.” Walker leaned down and kissed Beverly’s cheek. “Love you too, Bev.” 

###

Yvette was distraught when she talked with Walker.  _“Will he be alright?”_

“I think so. They’re getting a heart specialist.  But Beverly is a mess.”  On screen, Yvette nodded her head. _“Yes, I would expect this must be traumatic for her. I hope this doesn’t change her mind on going into medicine.”_

“Nah, I think she’s pretty determined.”

 _“And she wants me to come?”_ Walker nodded. “She thinks Jean-Luc would want you here.”  Yvette shook her head.  _“I don’t know. Jean-Luc has always been so independent.  But if Beverly wants me there...you say it will take three days on a shuttle?”_

“Yes.  I’m sure I could arrange for passage for you and Mister Picard.”

_“No. Just me.  I don’t think Maurice would... it’s best if I come alone.  I might ask Marie to come with me. I’ve never travelled...well, I’ve barely left Europe, let alone the planet.”_

“Would you like me to make the arrangements for you and Marie?” 

_“Yes, please. I can be ready tomorrow...or later today if there is a shuttle.  I think Beverly might need me more than Jean-Luc right now.  Please tell Beverly I’m on my way.”_

“I will, Mrs Picard.”  Yvette softly smiled. _“Please, Walker, call me Yvette. You’re Jean-Luc and Beverly’s best friend. No need to be so formal.”_  Walker grinned. “Ok, Yvette. I’ll call you back once I make the arrangements.” 

_“Thank you.”_

Walker called up for the shuttle information and added Yvette and Marie to the passenger manifest and quickly called Yvette back to give her the information.  Her shuttle would arrive in four days, and the Vulcan heart specialist would be there in two.  With any luck, Jean-Luc would be on the mend by the time his mother arrived.  Walker checked his own schedule.  He was scheduled to leave the base in three days to join up with his ship, but there was no way he was going to leave his best friends.  He sent a message to his commanding officer, requesting that he be granted leave due to a family emergency. He explained in his message to his Captain that his best friend had been in an accident and he didn’t want to leave his friend’s wife alone. He wrote that he understood if this meant he would be dismissed and forced to seek another assignment, but he simply would not be able to join the ship in three days.  Walker pressed send and sighed.  He hoped he wouldn’t lose his job, but it wasn’t like there weren’t plenty of other ships to serve on.

Walker wondered if he should contact Captain Hanson and decided it might be best.  He supposed Hanson would receive a report since Jean-Luc was assigned to him, but he thought it might be a nice gesture and possibly could save Jean-Luc’s position if he explained the full story.  The Nausicaan’s had been arrested.  Corey, Jack, and Jean-Luc weren’t being charged for anything as it was all clearly initiated by the Nausicaans....and no one had placed the blame for the altered table on the trio, either.  The Nausicaans had been searched and their magnetic device found, so it was assumed they had altered the table as well.  The Nausicaan who had stabbed Jean-Luc, Gejhei, was being held on charges of attempted murder.  The charges would be escalated depending on Jean-Luc’s outcome.  As much as Walker wanted the Nausicaan to be put away for a long time, he didn’t want it to happen at the expense of his friend’s death.  Walker sent his message and headed back t Jean-Luc’ room. 

He entered the room, and noticed how sombre the general tone of the room was.  Beverly was now sitting with Corey on the large chair, with Marta perched on the arm.  Jack was sitting on the floor in front of Beverly and was trying to tease a smile out of her.  Beverly remained silent and stony faced, but looked up when she saw Walker enter the room and jumped up from her chair to wrap herself around him once more.  Walker was Beverly’s “Home base”.  He stroked her hair and looked at their other friends in the room. “Any news?”

“A doctor came in and wanted to talk to Beverly, but she wanted to wait for you to come back.  Should I go get the doctor?”  Walker nodded a Corey who dashed out of the room to try to find the doctor.

“Bev, sweetheart, have you eaten anything or had anything to drink?” 

“I asked, but she said she didn’t want anything.”  Marta shrugged.  Walker frowned. “Beverly, I need you to drink something for me, alright?  How about a cup of lemon tea?”  Beverly shook her head.  “Drink it for Jean-Luc?  He wouldn’t want you to get dehydrated.”  Beverly glanced back over at her husband in his stasis chamber and slowly nodded her consent.  “Good.  Marta, could you get Bev a cup of lemon tea?” 

“Sure.”  Jack eyed Walker. “You’re going to give me something to do next, aren’t you?” 

“What makes you say that?” 

“Well, you’ve given jobs to Marta and Corey.  I figure there must be something for me to do.”   Walker grinned at his friend.  “When do you ship out?” 

“Not for another week and a half.” 

“Good. Mrs Picard and Marie will be here in four days. Can you arrange for rooms for them? Maybe get Beverly and Marc and I moved into a large suite we could all share?” 

“Don’t you have a ship to get to?”  Walker shook his head. “I contacted my Captain and told him I wouldn’t be able to report.  Jean-Luc might be unconscious, but I think Beverly needs me to stay here.”  Jack nodded and glanced at Beverly, who was still clinging to Walker and barely speaking.  “ You might be right.  Do you think I should stay too?”  Beverly turned her head towards Jack.  “I....don’t know.”

“Why don’t you make your commanding officer aware of the situation and let them know just in case you’re needed to stay....but I don’t think Johnny would want all of us to put our careers on hold for him.”

“No, he wouldn’t. Wally...Jack...Jean-Luc wouldn’t want either of you to put him first and you know that...”  It was the first full sentence Beverly had spoken since they arrived at the hospital.  “Bev, sweetheart, we aren’t just here for Jean-Luc. We’re here for you, too. And I already told my CO I wouldn’t be joining the ship.  I’m not going to leave you on your own.” 

“Thank you, Wally. But Jack...you should still go. A lot can happen in ten days.  Jean-Luc will be fine by then and on his way to recovery.”

“If you’re sure, Beverly.” 

“I am,” she paused for a minute and a tiny smile showed on her lips. “But thank you for offering, Jack.  It’s very nice of you.” 

“Anything for you and Johnny, you know it, Bev.  Right, I’m going to go back and see about getting us all a larger suite to share.  I don’t think any of us should be left sleeping alone.”  Beverly’s eyes filled with tears once more. “Shit. I’m sorry, Bev.” 

“I...I want to sleep here tonight.  Will you bring back my nightgown?” 

“Bev, they might not let you.”  Walker tried to be stern with his friend.  The truth was, he didn’t want to leave Jean-Luc either, but he was sure it would do Beverly some good to leave the hospital room.  “I won’t leave.” 

Corey returned with the doctor and Jack departed to their accommodations.  “Mrs Picard, I’m Doctor Stone.  I’d like to speak with you about your husband privately. “ Beverly clutched at Walker’s hand. 

“Doctor....Stone?  Can Walker stay?”  Doctor Stone glanced at Walker. “You’re her brother, right?”

“Yes, yes he is.” 

“Well, I don’t see why not. As long as you are authorising it. “  Doctor Stone shut the door to Jean-Luc’s room after Corey left to look for Marta and indicated for Beverly to take a seat. She sat back down on the squashy chair, and Walker sat on the armrest. 

“Mrs Picard...”

“Ensign.” 

“Sorry, Ensign Picard –“

“No. Call me Mrs, Please. I appreciate you correcting him, Wally, but Jean-Luc is Ensign Picard.” Walker rolled his eyes. “Sorry Bev.” 

“I will call you whatever you wish,” the doctor warmly smiled at Beverly and she tried to return it. “Your husband has been stabbed and I don’t think we can save-“ Beverly gasped. “Can I continue?” She nodded but clutched at Walker’s hand tightly and tears threatened to fall. “I don’t think we can save his heart.  However, we can give him an artificial heart, if you think that is what he would want.”

“Yes.  Please. Save my husband. I....I need him.”

“I understand.  The heart surgeon will be here in two days time, when she will evaluate your husband. For now, we need to keep him in stasis.  If we try to remove him from the chamber, his heart will immediately go into cardiac arrest.”  Beverly nodded as a tear slipped down her face. 

“I know this is hard for you, Mrs Picard.  And I’m going to have to ask you another question.  Do you want us to extract his sperm for you?”

“I...what?”

“In case he...” The doctor reflected on his words and tried again. “In case there are complications.  Having a sample would ensure your ability to have your husband’s child.”  Beverly’s eyes went wide. She hadn’t even thought about children with Jean-Luc. Not yet, anyway.  They had agreed to wait four years. But if something happened....would she want to make sure she could have his child? 

Beverly slowly nodded at the doctor. “I....think so.  Yes.  I....I want to have a child with my husband, even if he....” she trailed off, not willing to say ‘doesn’t survive’.  The doctor nodded. “We’ll see that it’s done. Now, I assume you would like to stay here with your husband?  Normally, we wouldn’t allow it, but I think under the circumstances, we can allow it.”

“I don’t want to leave his side”

“Of course.  I’ll arrange for a sofa to be brought in....I understand you are with a group of friends?”   Walker spoke up. “My boyfriend is here, and our other two best friends.  Jean-Luc’s mother and sister-in-law are en route.” 

“We usually restrict visitors to two at a time, but I will relax the rules for you. Are you all newly graduated?”

“Yes, Sir.  We all should have been departing from here for our new assignments, except for Beverly and Marc. They both were returning to start their studies at Starfleet Medical.”

“You plan on being a doctor?”  Beverly nodded. “Jean-Luc and I planned....he would be the Captain, and I would be his CMO....”  The doctor kindly patted Beverly’s shoulder. “I’m sure that will happen for you.  Both of you. “ 

“Thank you.”  The doctor stood up.  “I’m only a call away if you need anything. Just press the call button and a nurse will come and you can tell her if you need me.  Your husband should be fine, but would you like me to show you how to monitor him?”  Beverly nodded and the doctor motioned for her to join him by the bed while he pointed out all the different displays to her.  Walker knew Beverly would soak it all up and would soon begin to monitor Jean-Luc on her own. 

The doctor went to leave the room as Marta and Corey came back in with a tray Marta had liberated from the canteen. “Alright, Bev. I have your lemon tea here and I brought you a sandwich. Wally, I brought you some food too.”   Beverly smiled at her friend. “Thanks, Marta.”

While Beverly was drinking her tea, a nurse came in to check on Jean-Luc. “Which one of you is his wife?”

“I am.” 

“Hello, Mrs Picard. I’m Nurse Felix and I’ve been assigned to your husband. Would you like to be able to touch him?” Beverly’s eyes brightened. “Doctor Stone said he has to remain in the stasis bubble. Is it possible?”

“Yes.  We can extract his arm for you if we seal the field around his arm. Would you like me to do that for you?”

“Yes, please. Nurse...I’m sorry, you just told me and I forgot.” 

“Felix, love.  If you forget, just call me Nurse, alright?” Beverly nodded.  “And you’ll be wanting a bed brought in for yourself, I assume?”

“Uhm...yes?” 

“Doctor Stone said he would get us a sofa, but I don’t think that would be comfortable for Beverly.”  Nurse Felix pursed her lips. “No.  I will make sure you have a sofa for you and your family to sit on and I will have a foldaway bed brought in for you.  I can tell you aren’t going to willingly leave your husband’s side, am I right?”  Beverly nodded. “We...we haven’t spent a night apart since we first started dating.  Jean-Luc’s assignment on the Nola was going to be our first time apart...the Nola!  Walker!  Jean-Luc isn’t going to make his assignment.”

“Shh, Bev. Calm down.  His Captain would have been informed when he was brought in, and I sent a personal note to him.” 

“Jean-Luc will be terribly disappointed. He was going to be a relief Flight Controller.” 

“There will be other jobs, Bev.  I promise.”  The nurse triumphantly grinned at Beverly. “There you go, love, I’ve managed to free your husband’s hand for you.  It might feel weird, but you can touch him now.”  Beverly smiled in thanks and rushed to Jean-Luc’s side and picked up his hand and brought it to her lips.  “His hand is so cold.”  She frowned.  “Well, you’ll just have to warm it up for him, love, won’t you?” 

Beverly wouldn’t let go of Jean-Luc’s hand now that she was able to hold it, and Walker could only pull the chair closer for Beverly to sit in while they waited for the rest of their friends to return.    


	12. Chapter 12

Beverly woke from her cot next to Jean-Luc when she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder.  “Mrs Picard?  The surgeon has arrived and would like to assess Ensign Picard immediately.  Would you like to freshen up first?” 

“Thank you.  Could I have ten minutes?  I, ah, don’t like to close the door to the bathroom. I need to be able to see Jean-Luc.”  The nurse nodded and patted Beverly’s arm. “Of course, dear.  Ensign Keel is here, too. Shall I send him in?” 

“Please.” 

Beverly quickly changed her clothing, ran a brush through her hair, and splashed some water on her face in time for the surgeon’s arrival.  Beverly recognized her right away.  Doctor T’Pah was well-known and was someone Beverly aspired to become one day.   Beverly recalled the Vulcan greeting and held out her hand with her fingers splayed.  “I thank you for your greeting. I am Doctor T’Pah. You are Beverly Picard?”  Beverly nodded. “ I would like to examine your husband now.” 

Beverly nodded and stood to one side, once again holding Walker’s hand and observed the doctor.  After what felt like hours, but had probably only been minutes, T’Pah turned back to Beverly.  “Yes, I believe your husband is the perfect candidate for an artificial heart.  I will make the arrangements to begin surgery at once.”

“How long will it take?”

“These types of surgeries are hard to measure, but no more than twelve.  I assume you will remain here?”

“ May I...May I observe?  I’m a medical student and....”  T’Pah shook her head.  “No.  Perhaps you may observe on a different surgery, but you should not watch your husband’s surgery.”  Beverly nodded. “I understand.”   It _did_  make sense...though she still wished she would be in the room with Jean-Luc. 

“We will need to discuss his after care.”

“After care?”

“Yes.  After a surgery like this, I prefer for the patient to wake up naturally. Sometimes it is as soon as a few days, other times weeks or months.” 

“I won’t leave him...I’ll defer my medical studies if I have to.” 

“That will not be necessary.  I am sure we can come to an agreement for you to begin your medical studies should your husband still be here when classes resume.”   Beverly smiled at the Vulcan, but got no smile in response.  She supposed studying would give her something to do while Jean-Luc recuperated.  T’Pah consulted a PADD. “Nurse Felix will return to prepare Ensign Picard. I would like to perform the surgery as soon as possible.”

“Thank you, Doctor.”  T’Pah merely nodded as she turned to leave the room. 

“Wow, Walker. I know Jean-Luc will be in good hands with T’Pah. She’s incredible.”  Beverly offered Walker a smile. “He’ll be back to us in no time.” 

Nurse Felix bustled into the room. “Good morning, Mrs Picard, Ensign Keel.  And good morning to you, Ensign Picard.”  Beverly smiled.  Unlike the other nurses, who checked Jean-Luc’s vitals and only spoke with Beverly, Nurse Felix never failed to acknowledge Jean-Luc when she was in the room.  “I understand you’ll be having surgery today and get out of that stasis bubble.”  Beverly giggled as the nurse “talked” to her husband.   Nurse Felix turned to Beverly.  “I’m supposed to prepare your husband for his surgery, but really, I think I need to be preparing you. We’ll be wheeling Ensign Picard through  in ten minutes and he might be gone for as long as twelve hours. During that time, I will try to bring you updates, but I might not be able to...will you be alright?”  Beverly nodded.

 “And then he’ll be ok, right?”

“Well...Mrs Picard, Beverly, if I may.  You yourself have taken a few pre-med courses.  You know that this isn’t always an instant cure.  His body has to accept the artificial heart and he will have a learning curve to dealing with it...are you prepared?”  Beverly stiffly nodded.  “I will do whatever my husband needs...Nurse Felix, I love my husband very much.  He is my heart and soul.  If I need to resign from school to take care of my husband, I will.”

“I don’t think it will come to that, my dear, but it’s nice to see how devoted you are to him.  Now, I’m just going to move his hand back into the stasis bubble for ease of moving him and connect him to the portable monitors  and then we’ll be wheeling your gorgeous husband into surgery.”  Beverly cradled Jean-Luc’s hand to her cheek and kissed it. “I love you, Jean-Luc.  I’ll be here when you get out.”  Nurse Felix smiled. It really _was_ refreshing to see the love Beverly clearly had for her husband and no doubt the young Ensign returned the love. 

The wait was agonizing.  Beverly spent most of the time pacing around the room and refused food and drink from her friends.  Walker, Marcal, Jack, Corey, and Marta were all sitting on the sofa and chairs, but Beverly couldn’t stay still.  She paced for ten hours until Nurse Felix finally came to see her.

“Is Jean-Luc...?”

“Surgery was a success. He’s in recovery right now.”

“Can I see him?”

“Give me thirty minutes, and I should be able to having him brought back in.”

###

Beverly was sleeping next to Jean-Luc.  He was still connected to monitoring equipment and he had a mask over his nose and mouth to help him breathe, so Beverly had climbed into bed with him and was sound asleep with her head on his chest listening to the steady thump of his new heart when Yvette and Marie finally arrived.  Yvette gazed at her son and his wife and tear sprung to her eyes.  Walker had told her and Marie on their way over to the hospital that Beverly hadn’t yet left the hospital.  Yvette was determined to get her to leave just for a few hours, even if it was just to shower and change her clothes. 

“Beverly?”  Beverly slowly opened her eyes.  “Maman? Marie?” 

“We’re here.”  Yvette walked over to the bed and reached for Jean-Luc’s hand and squeezed it while she stroked Bevely’s hair with her other hand.  “Marie and I just arrived. Why don’t you take a shower and Marie and I will stay here with Jean-Luc.” 

“I....”

“Walker told me you haven’t let Jean-Luc out of your sight for the past four days, but you need to take care of yourself, too.  Go back to your quarters.  Have a hot shower and a meal. I promise, if anything changes, we will call you immediately.” 

“Oh, Maman....I can’t leave him.” Walker came into the room silently.  “Bev, sweetheart.  You  haven’t left this room in five days.  You know Jean-Luc wouldn’t want you to waste away.  Come on, let’s get some sunshine on your face.  We’ll go back to our suite, you’ll get a shower and change your clothes, and maybe even eat something.” 

“I know but...what if he needs me?”

“Yvette will call us. Come on, Bev.”  Beverly sighed and got out of the bed and leaned over and kissed Jean-Luc’s forehead. “Good morning, my love.  Maman and Marie are here and everyone is insisting I go home to shower.  I’ll be back soon. I love you.”  She kissed his forehead again and Yvette embraced her. “He’s through the worst, Beverly.  Remember that.” 

Beverly would only stay away for a half an hour.  She raced back to the hospital as soon as her hair was dry and took up her vigil next to Jean-Luc.  Yvette pulled Walker to one side.

“Walker...is Beverly alright?”   Walker shook his head. “I don’t know, Yvette.  She won’t let Jean-Luc out of her sight for more than a few minutes, and only if someone else is in the room with Jean-Luc.  The day of the accident Beverly seemed to shut down until she was told they thought Jean-Luc would be alright. That’s why I asked my CO if I could stay....I don’t want Beverly to be alone.”  Yvette patted his arm. “You’re a good friend, Walker.  But go. Take that boyfriend of yours out for a meal.  Marie and I will stay here with Beverly and Jean-Luc.”

###

Yvette and Marie stayed for two weeks, but Yvette soon had to return to the vineyard.  She kissed Beverly’s cheek and told her she expected to see her and Jean-Luc as soon as he was able to travel, and Marie reminded Beverly her wedding was in six months over the Christmas holiday.  Beverly was sad to see Yvette leave, but there had been no change to Jean-Luc’s condition and there really was no reason for her to stick around.  Beverly promised to call her as soon as Jean-Luc opened his eyes.

Over the course of the following week, Beverly had essentially moved into Jean-Luc’s hospital room.  She had already been staying there, but now she had all of their belongings moved out of the quarters they had on the base, and Nurse Felix had managed to get a replicator installed in Jean-Luc’s room for her use.  Corey and Marta had been the first to leave for their assignments, both promising to call Beverly for updates whenever they could.  Jack  reluctantly left a few days before Yvette and Marie did, but Walker had stayed.  His commanding officer had told him to take all the time he needed and his position was being held for him....but the same couldn’t be said for Jean-Luc.  Hanson had to depart without his relief flight controller and had said he wasn’t sure if the position would still be open when Jean-Luc was finally able to resume duties . On the other hand, Jean-Luc wasn’t being dismissed from Starfleet, and there would be no marks on his record against him for this incident, so his career would only suffer a very small set back.  Walker was still sure Jean-Luc would make Captain before any of them.  Walker finally left at Beverly’s urging a month after the accident.  She knew Jean-Luc would want him to take his assignment and she knew they would see each other in December as long as Jean-Luc was well enough to travel for Marie and Robert’s wedding, as Marie had invited Walker and Marcal.

Beverly was studying one of her textbooks.  She had spoken with the Medical Academy, and since she was at a hospital, they had agreed to allow her to do her studies long-distance temporarily.  She was relieved that she wasn’t going to be too far behind her classmates, but it didn’t matter as long as Jean-Luc would be well. Marcal had gone back to Earth several weeks prior, and had promised Beverly he would send her all of his notes from their lectures.  Beverly had gotten into the habit of holding Jean-Luc’s hand while she studied, or having part of her body in contact with his and she revelled in the fact that his body was finally starting to be warm.  She nearly jumped out of her chair when she felt his pinky move against her hand.

“Jean-Luc?”  Jean-Luc groaned around the oxygen mask over his face and slowly opened his eyes.  “It’s me, Beverly.  Squeeze my hand if you can hear me.”  He squeezed her hand.  She grinned from ear to ear and leaned down and kissed his forehead. “Welcome back, my love. I love you.”

“I....” Jean-Luc frowned. His throat was dry and he had a huge mask over his nose and mouth.  Beverly chuckled slightly and ran a finger down his cheek. “I know.  Hang on, if the doctor says you can have the mask off, we’ll get it removed and get you some water.  You’ve been out for a very long time.”  Jean-Luc used his eyes to ask her how long he had been out for.  “Nearly six weeks.  We’re still on Airbase Earhart.  Do you remember what happened?” Jean-Luc slowly nodded.  “You had to have an artificial heart, but I suppose the doctors will explain all of that to you.” Beverly squeezed his hand. “I’m just so glad you’re finally awake.” Jean-Luc tried to speak once more to convey his feelings on waking up to seeing Beverly.  “Lo....Vvv....”  Beverly squeezed his hand again. “I know. I love you, too.  I’m going to press the bell for Nurse Felix now, alright?”  Jean-Luc squeezed her hand.

Nurse Felix bustled into the room. “What can I do for you, Beverly?” The nurse glanced over and saw Jean-Luc’s eyes opened. “Welcome back, Ensign Picard. My name is Nurse Felix and I’ve been looking after you and your lovely wife.”  Jean-Luc smiled around the breathing mask.  “Hmm. I think I can take the mask off you, but if you have any trouble breathing, it’s going to have to go back on, understand?”  Jean-Luc slowly nodded as the nurse tugged the mask off.  Jean-Luc let out a gasp and then opened his mouth to speak. “Th....” 

“Hold on there, Ensign.  Let me get you some water.”  Beverly giggled.  “While I’m away, I’m sure there’s something your lovely wife has been waiting six weeks to do.”  Jean-Luc raised his eyebrows questioningly and Beverly leaned down and placed her lips against his gently.  “I’ve missed you, my love.”  She kissed him again and was more than surprised when he managed to slip his tongue between her lips.  She grinned, but pulled away.  “Hold that thought, my love.  We need to talk to the doctors.”  Jean-Luc frowned. 

Nurse Felix brought him a small cup of water and a straw. “Small sips now, Ensign.”  Jean-Luc swallowed the mouthful. “Well, go on, tell your wife you love her.”  Jean-Luc cleared his throat.

“I love you, Beverly.”  Beverly had tears glinting in her eyes. “I love you too, Jean-Luc.  Oh, I thought I would never hear those words again!” 

“Was it...bad?” Beverly nodded and squeezed his hand. “Worst day of my life.” 

“Right, I’ll leave you two to talk while I get the doctors for you.  Ensign, I need you to be careful and try not to get yourself too excited.  We still have this monitor over your new heart and we will need to conduct a stress test.” 

“My new heart?”  Beverly nodded. “You have an artificial heart now, my love.” 

“Why?”

“Well, because you were stabbed and I told them to save you.”  Jean-Luc frowned. “But if I have an artificial heart was I...”

“Dead?  Yes and no, but I’ll let the doctors explain.  You were placed in stasis right after the accident and they didn’t lift the stasis until you were in surgery.”  Jean-Luc squeezed Beverly’s hand. “I see.  Beverly...I...I don’t understand.” 

“What don’t you understand, my love?” 

“I’m...here?  But I was stabbed? And you’re not at school....”  He frowned again. “Don’t worry, I’m sort of at school.  I’ve been doing my classes by correspondence and acting as a kind of intern here.  Marc has been sending me all the lecture notes and he’s managed to convince some of the instructors to let him record classes for me...but I wasn’t going to leave you.  You have to know that I wouldn’t have.”  Jean-Luc remained tight-lipped while he thought about what Beverly had told him. 

“You should go back.”

“What?”

“You should be at school, my love. This was an accident, but...accidents happen and you shouldn’t put your career on hold just because something bad happened to me...”  Beverly glared at her husband.  “Something bad?  _Something bad_?  Jean-Luc, you were _stabbed in the heart_!! I’d call that more than just ‘something bad’!”   Beverly’s voice became shrill as she fought against her tears. “I thought I had lost you.  Do you know what that feels like?!  Every day I waited for you to open your eyes and I didn’t know if you would ever be coming back to me.  Jean-Luc,  _they froze your sperm in case you died so I could have a baby._ ”

“They...they what?! Well, unfreeze it! Throw it away!  We don’t need it anymore. I’m here! I’m here!”  Jean-Luc was nearly shouting and alarms were going off all around him. Beverly had tears streaming down her face when Nurse Felix and Doctor Stone hurried in.  Nurse Felix tsked.  “I told you, don’t get too excited. We haven’t stress tested your heart yet.” 

“I....I got angry.  I’m sorry, Beverly.”

“Ensign Picard, why did you get angry?”  Jean-Luc turned to look at Doctor Stone. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t introduce myself. I’m Doctor Stone.”

“Did you perform my surgery?”

“No, that was Doctor T’Pan. She will be in to check on you shortly, but I thought I would come in first and see if I could answer anything for you. How do you feel?”

“Uh...fine, I guess?” Beverly gave his hand a squeeze again.  “Jean-Luc, be honest with Doctor Stone.”

“Yes, Love.  Doctor, I feel....funny.  Am I a machine now?”  Doctor Stone shook his head. “No, of course not.  You’re still human, you just have an artificial heart. It’s no different from the old Iron Lungs, the only difference is this is inside you and won’t keep you bed bound for the rest of your life.” 

“So I can...I still have my job?”  Doctor Stone pursed his lips. “Once we release you, you will be eligible to be reassigned.”  Jean-Luc frowned. “Captain Hanson?”  Beverly shook her head. “I’m so sorry, love. Walker tried to get him to wait but...he said to contact him when you were better and if he still had a position he would give it to you, but he wasn’t leaving it open for you.” 

“Oh.  Walker’s here?” Beverly shook her head. “He was here and he would have stayed longer if I had let him. I finally told him _you_ would be mad at him if he stayed any longer.”  Jean-Luc grinned. “You got that right. So, Doctor, am I fine now? When will I be released?” Doctor Stone chuckled.

“Well, Ensign,  Doctor T’Pan has to examine you ,and you will need to have a stress test done like Nurse Felix said.  It all depends on how well your body copes and adjust to your new heart.  You’ve been unconscious for so long, you might require some physical therapy too, but I assure you, you should be able to resume _all_ physical activities within a few weeks.”  Beverly blushed then and Jean-Luc caught on to what the doctor meant. 

Doctor T’Pan entered the room.  “Right. I want everyone who isn’t my patient or his wife out of this room.”  Doctor Stone grinned at Jean-Luc and Beverly before leaving. 

T’Pan studied the readouts.  “Your heart rate spiked less than five minutes ago. Why?”

“I got angry.” 

“I see. Well, the accident is in the past, no reason to dwell on it.  The important thing is that your life has been saved.  Now, we do need to monitor the new heart for the next few weeks and we will get you set up for a stress test.  You are lucky.  You are, perhaps, the youngest adult to ever receive an artificial heart as the result of an accident.”

“Lucky, eh?”  Beverly reached for Jean-Luc’s hand. “Shush you. You could be dead now if it wasn’t for Doctor T’Pan.” 

“I don’t feel so lucky, right now.  Don’t get me wrong, Doctor. I’m grateful you saved me and I’m grateful I will have more time with my wife, but....”  he trailed off, not sure how to put into words what he was feeling.

“Most of my patients have made the decision for themselves to have their heart replaced. They had forewarning of an imminent failure, or they left instructions in a living will.  You, however, did not get to make that choice.”  Beverly gasped.

“Jean-Luc, I’m sorry.  I....”

“You did what you thought was the right thing.  Beverly, my love, I’m _not_ mad at you.  At the situation, yes.  At the fact that you had to make life or death decisions about my life, yes.  But I’m not angry at you.  I promise.”   He raised their joined hands to his lips and gave her hand a kiss.  T’Pan cleared her throat. “Now then, Ensign.  We will schedule the stress test for tomorrow and we will start you on physical therapy.  We also would like for you to see a psychologist-“

“That won’t be necessary, Doctor.”

“It is required. You will speak with a psychologist and once we are satisfied your new heart is working properly and you have no lasting damage to your organs or muscles, we should be able to release you.”

“And then I can work?”  T’Pan nodded.  “But for now, you must rest.  Your wife may continue to stay with you.”

“Stay with me?”  Nurse Felix heard him as she came back into the room. “Oh, yes, Ensign Picard. Your young wife has barely left your side since you were brought in.” 

“ _Beverly_!”  Beverly shrugged. “Well, I wasn’t going to just _leave_.”

“Now then, Ensign Picard, I am sure you would like to have a sponge bath and freshen up for your lovely wife?”  Jean-Luc blushed again. “Oh, Ensign. No need to blush.  But I can get a male nurse if you’d like...”

“No, it’s fine.”  Beverly giggled.  “You know, I’ve been helping to bathe you while you’ve been unconscious. Would you like me to....”  There was another spike in Jean-Luc’s heart rate.  Nurse Felix looked at Beverly over the top of her glasses. “Mrs Picard, behave yourself.”  Beverly grinned and leaned down to kiss Jean-Luc.  “I’ll behave if he does.  I’m going to go call Maman, Walker, and the others to let them know you’re awake.”  Jean-Luc paled. “Maman?”

“She was here just after your accident with Marie, but had to get home.  But she’s called almost every day.  Walker too.  Corey and Marta have called as frequently as they’ve been able to.  I’ll be back, my love. Enjoy your bath with Nurse Felix!”  Beverly smirked as she left the room. 

“You might consider a shower yourself, young lady.  Now that your young man is awake, you don’t need to take a five minute shower.  Go on, have a leisurely shower . I’ll stay with your husband until you return.”

“Uhm...Jean-Luc, is that alright?”   Jean-Luc nodded. “My love, you need to take some time for yourself, too.” Nurse Felix winked. “Listen to your husband.  He’s a smart man.” 

“Alright. I’ll make the calls first though.” 


	13. Chapter 13

Jean-Luc spoke with his mother and had convinced her he was fine before Claude got on to pester him with questions about his accident.  Claude had, of course, heard all the details from Missy who had heard them from Walker.

“ _Did you really do it?”_

“Do what?”

“ _Take on three Nausicaans on your own, bro.”_

“Bro?”  Jean-Luc raised his eyebrows at his younger brother.  “No.  Walker, Jack, and Corey were with me. Beverly and Marta were too, but they stayed out of the fight.”

“ _Yeah, but they got taken down and you were the only one left.”_

“Was I?”

_“That’s what Missy said Walker said.”_

“I see.  You might want to ask Beverly. I honestly don’t remember much about it.”

 _“Did you see the knife sticking out of your chest?”_ Jean-Luc shuddered, remembering. “Yes.  I remember I looked down and saw the point, then I looked at Beverly and it was like I couldn’t hear her – she was screaming and crying but I didn’t hear anything.  I looked at her and told her I loved her before I blacked out.” On-screen, Claude made a face. “ _Ugh. That’s so...twee.”_

“Twee?”

_“Yeah, you know.  Lovey-dovey. Wishy-washy. Twee.”_

“It’s twee that what I thought were the last minutes of my life I was thinking about my wife?”

_“Yeah.  I mean...you should have been thinking about getting revenge on those guys.”_

“Claude,” Jean-Luc shook his head at his younger brother. “It was a little tough to try to get revenge when I had a knife sticking out of my chest.” 

_“Oh.  So hey, did you have one of those out of body experiences they always talk about happening right before you die?”_

“I didn’t die, Claude.  I got stabbed.”

 _“Yeah, but your heart stopped...isn’t that like dying?”_ Jean-Luc rolled his eyes. “No.  The Doctor explained it all. At no point was I actually dead, despite your desire for me to have died.” 

_“I didn’t really want for you to die. I just thought it’d be cool if we both shared a near-death experience.”_

“Claude,  I _had_ a near-death experience. You fell in a well when you were six. Big difference.”   Claude fell silent. 

_“Hey, where’s Beverly?”_

“Taking a shower.”  Claude wiggled his eyebrows at his older brother. _“Well, why aren’t you with her, man?”_

“I need a stress test first.”

_“What’s that?”_

“They’ll hook me up to monitors and make me run on a treadmill to make sure my new heart is working properly.  I have to be careful about raising my heart rate until then.”

 _“So no sex?”_ Jean-Luc rolled his eyes again. “No sex.”

_“Aw man, that sucks bro!”_

“Again, I ask, Bro?”

_“Missy calls Walker bro.”_

“I see. And how is the fair Missy?” 

_“Busy.  But Marc said I could still stay over whenever I wanted so I usually see Missy every other weekend.”_

“So you found a job?” 

_“Not really, but Papa gave me stuff to do.  I dunno if I want to become a vinter like Robert though.  I thought I might take the entrance exam for the Academy...or just join up when I turn 18.  Then Missy and I could be together.”_

“You know, Claude, it will be different being an enlisted man versus coming through Starfleet Academy.”

 _“I know, but I don’t want to go to school again.”_ Jean-Luc grinned at the image of his brother. “You’d never survive.  But I don’t think you’d do well enlisting, either.  You know, you’d have to follow someone else’s orders.”

 _“Well, then I still dunno what I want to do.”_ Behind Claude, Jean-Luc could see Robert tapping his wrist. _“Oh, Robert wants to talk to you....bye bro!”_

“Er...Bye?”  Claude’s face was replaced with Robert’s. “ _Jean-Luc.”_

“Robert.”

 _“I’m...ah...glad you didn’t die.”_ Jean-Luc grinned at his brother.

“Thanks. Me too.  How are the wedding plans coming?”  Robert grinned. “ _Good.  You know, you better be able to walk by December. I am_ not _having Claude as my best man._ ”  Jean-Luc grinned back at his brother. “I will endeavour to get well enough to travel.  After all, the wedding is in five months. I’m sure I’ll be fine and Beverly and I will both be there.”

 _“Good.  I’m sorry to cut this short, but Claude used up all our time and you know Papa....”_  Jean-Luc rolled his eyes.  Their father hated having the computer to begin with, so they always had limited time to make calls with it.  “That’s alright. We can talk another time.  I probably need to sleep now, anyway.  I have PT tomorrow.” 

_“Ok, bye Jean-Luc.”_

“Goodbye, Robert.”  Jean-Luc pressed the end button just as Beverly was coming out of the bathroom.

“Have a good chat with your family?”  Beverly leaned down and kissed Jean-Luc. He could smell the floral scent of her shampoo and he inhaled deeply.  “Mmm. I love the way your hair smells.”  Beverly smiled.  “Move over.” 

“Move over?”

“There’s no room for me.”

“In case you haven’t noticed, the bed is only big enough for one, my love.”  Beverly scoffed. “I’ve been sleeping in this bed with you for the past six weeks while you were unconscious.”

“You did?”

“Yep. So I know we fit and I say move over.” 

“Is that...are you allowed to?”  Beverly put her hands on her hips and glared at her husband. “Well, no one has stopped me yet. Now are you going to move over or am I going to have to climb on top of you?”  Jean-Luc groaned. “ _Beverly_.” 

“What?”

“Don’t. Please.”  Beverly mischievously grinned at her husband. “Don’t what?”  She untied the dressing gown and Jean-Luc gasped. Beverly had worn one of her tiny silk nightgowns he loved so much.  “Don’t wear this?  Ok...”  Beverly reached for the hem and started to pull it over her head. 

“ _Beverly._ Please.  I appreciate the teasing but....”  He rested his hand over her heart.  Beverly grumbled. “First night in six weeks my husband is conscious and I can’t do anything with him.”  Jean-Luc shifted so she had room to get on the bed next to him.  He ran his hand not attached to the monitor up her thigh and her breath caught.  “Well, as long as _I_ don’t raise my heart rate....”  Beverly frowned. “No, that’s no fun.  I can’t believe I have to wait to get permission to have sex with my husband.” 

“I’m sorry, my love. “

“Me too.”  Beverly pulled off her nightgown. “What are you doing?”

“Changing into pyjamas.  Don’t want to accidentally excite you.” 

“Too late.   Now please come here.” 

“Let me put pyjamas on first.  I don’t know about you, but I don’t think I want the nurses who check on you at night to see me naked in your bed, do you?”

“Hmm. You may have a point.  But keep the nightgown on.  I like it. It looks good on you.”

Jean-Luc woke up a few hours later with his wife nestled against him, her head resting on top of his chest.  He sighed contentedly.  He _had_ been a little harsh with Beverly when he first woke up, but he was actually quite pleased she was there.  He tightened his grip on her and kissed her head before drifting back to sleep.

###

In the morning, an orderly accompanied Nurse Felix to assist Jean-Luc in getting into a wheelchair. 

“Do I have to be wheeled?”

“Can you stand, Ensign?”   Jean-Luc frowned. They had tried yesterday, and his legs had buckled under him and if it hadn’t been for Beverly and Nurse Felix grabbing him, he would have landed on the floor.  “Er...No.”

“Then how do you expect to walk?”  Jean-Luc grudgingly let the orderly help him into the chair while Beverly laughed.  “She got you there, love.”

“Shush.  Are you coming with me?”

“Yep.  If you’re going to fall flat on your face, I’m not missing it!” 

They wheeled Jean-Luc into a large gymnasium set up with the kinds of things you would expect in a child’s play area  – a low balance beam, a set of low parallel bars, and steps going up and down. There also was some heavier machinery, including  equipment designed to help strengthen arm and leg muscles with weights, stationary bikes, and treadmills.  Jean-Luc was wheeled to the edge of the low parallel bars. 

“Now, then Ensign Picard, I would like for you to stand using the bars for support.”  Jean-Luc smiled at the nurse. “Please, Nurse Felix, you have been looking after me, and I suspect my wife too, for the past six weeks. You may call me Jean-Luc.”  Beverly chimed in, “And I’m Beverly.”

“Of course. Then I insist you must call me by my first name.  Serif.”  Jean-Luc nodded and reached for the bars and raised himself onto his feet.  “Good, good.  Now, I’m going to let your wife take over here as part of her training.” 

“Oh. Uhm, I won’t do anything like this until my third year.”

“I know that, Mrs – Beverly.  But I’m fairly certain I saw you reading over the physical therapy section of your text book yesterday.”  Beverly blushed. “I wanted to know what Jean-Luc would be going through.”  Serif nodded. “Right. Well, I have the schedule here that Doctor Stone has provided, and Mister Rolt is your therapist.  He should be here soon to assess Jean-Luc. But for now....Beverly?”

Beverly smiled and moved to the opposite side of the bars. “Ok, Jean-Luc.  They want you -  _I_ want you -  to walk over to me using the bars for support.  Pay attention to your feet and make sure you are putting weight evenly on both feet.  Let me know if you feel any pain,” she glanced over at Serif, who smiled encouragingly at her.  Jean-Luc grimaced, but stepped one foot forward and immediately leaned heavily on the bar.  “Bev...love...I  can’t.”

“You can, Jean-Luc.  I know you can.”  Beverly puckered her lips. “I have a kiss waiting for you on the other side.”  Serif chuckled. “Now that’s the sort of encouragement _I_ can’t offer.” 

“It hurts!”  Beverly nodded. “It would!  Jean-Luc, you’ve been laying down for six weeks.  But before you know it, you’ll be back to your marathons.”   Serif raised her eyebrows.  “Jean-Luc runs marathons?”  Beverly nodded again. “He does. He even won the Academy marathon his freshman year – the only first year to ever win.”

“In La Barre... when I needed to get away from Papa and think, I would run...there wasn’t much else to do in our small village.  I would like to run again.  Maybe not compete-“

“There’s no reason why you can’t.  People with artificial limbs and organs still compete.”

“Yes, but wouldn’t my heart put me at an advantage?” 

“Hmmm,”  Serif pursed her lips. “I’m not sure.  But, the point is, you will be able to run again. We just need to get your legs working so we can get you on that treadmill and make sure your new heart can handle the stress.”  Beverly grinned at her husband. “And you know, love, the sooner you get that stress test...” she let her words hang in the air and shot him a wicked grin.  Jean-Luc’s eyes glazed over for a moment and he shook his head. “You’re still a little minx.  But alright. I’ll try.  For you.”

“No, for _you_.”

“For both of us.”  Jean-Luc nodded and started putting one foot in front of the other.  It _was_ painful, but Beverly and Serif were right.  He _needed_ to do this.  He wouldn’t be an invalid for the rest of his life.  He was young, he was strong.  He glanced at his muscular arms and noticed they were trembling from how tightly he was gripping the  bars and he loosened his grip a bit.  He got halfway down the bars when his foot rolled under him and he grabbed at one of the bars with both hands.

“Are you alright, Jean-Luc?”  Jean-Luc was panting slightly and the heart rate monitor they attached to his chest gave out a beep. “I’m fine, I’m fine.  My ankle....”  Serif called over Rolt, who had Jean-Luc rotate his ankle a few ways.  “Good news, Ensign.  You haven’t sprained it, just rolled it. You’ll be fine.  You can stop for the day if you’d like to rest.”

“No.  I want to do this.”  Beverly grinned at her husband and took up her place at the end again and sent him a saucy wink. “My wife isn’t going to kiss me unless I make it to her.”

“Ah, motivation is always good. I’ll be back later and we’ll discuss your plan of action.  Our goal is to have you running on the treadmill for your stress test by the end of the week.”

“So soon? Wait, I don’t even know what day it is...”

“Tuesday, love.”  Jean-Luc nodded his thanks at his wife. “Ok,  so five days. I can do this.”  Rolt slapped him on his shoulder. “You sure can, Ensign.”  Jean-Luc looked down at his feet as he concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other once more.  He glanced up grinned.  He was almost to the end.  He reduced the pressure his hands were putting on the bars and was pleased to see he could still support himself with his legs.  He wanted to let go, so he glanced over towards Serif.  “Can I try letting go?”

“Let me get behind you and let Beverly get in front of you just in case.”  Beverly moved to face her husband and he leaned in to kiss her.  She held up her hand. “Nope. You’re not at the end yet.”  With Beverly in front of him and Serif behind, ready to grab him in case he fell, he slowly let go of the bars, first with one hand and then the other.  After standing for a few seconds, he nodded at Beverly and she took a slow step backwards and he followed her.  Serif moved in step with him behind him and he put the other foot forward.  Five steps later, and he had reached the end of the bars and he collapsed into Beverly’s outstretched arms, where he kissed her passionately.  Beverly grinned against his lips. “I told you you could do it.”

“Great start, Jean-Luc. I’ll just have you wheeled back to your room while we chat with your lovely wife for a minute.”

“Good, because I’m knackered now!”  Beverly laughed as she leaned down and kissed him again. “It’s probably just about my studies. I told you, I’m trying to keep up with my work.  I’ll see you in a bit.  If they let you have real food, I’ll join you for dinner.”

“Deal.”  Jean-Luc was wheeled away and Rolt directed Beverly into a conference room where Serif, Doctor Stone, Doctor T’Pan, and an unknown man were waiting for her.  Beverly took a seat and glanced around, confused. 

“Ensign Picard, we wanted to discuss your husband’s progress and plan with you.”

“Why not with him?”  Doctor Stone smiled at Beverly. “We will, but we wanted to talk to you first.” 

“Oh, ok.”

“Ensign, we’d like to give your husband a challenge.”  Beverly raised her eyebrows at Doctor Stone. “A challenge?”

“As you know, he is the youngest recipient of an artificial heart that wasn’t due to a medical reason. Prior to his accident, your husband was fit-“

“He still is!”

“Yes, Ensign.  He still is.  His most recent physical was done just three months ago before he received his first assignment, and everything was normal for someone of his age and athletic ability.   I think we can get him back in shape, as it were, quickly because of this.”  Beverly nodded and T’Pan picked up the narrative. “After heart replacement, I usually tell my patients not to expect to resume their normal activities for at least six months.” Beverly’s eyes bulged out. Six months was a long time for Jean-Luc to be tied to a bed.  Then her mind shifted to the idea of tying her husband to a bed and a blush crept up her cheeks.  Serif saw the look on Beverly’s face. “Doctor, I think you should continue.”

“Since your husband is so young and athletic, we are going to try to get him onto the treadmill by the end of the week in five days.  Normally, this would take my patients at least two weeks.  I do not want him or you to be discouraged if it does not happen, but we are not going to tell your husband it normally takes two weeks.” Beverly grinned.  She knew her husband, and if they wanted him on the treadmill in five days, he would make sure he was on it in five days.  He never backed down from a challenge....on the other hand, that’s kind of what landed him in this mess in the first place.  She frowned.

“Doctor...I’m not sure.  Jean-Luc never backed away from a challenge, but that’s also why he’s here...he might have...changed his views?” Doctor T’Pan pursed her lips.  “Perhaps.  But that is something we will find out.  I would also like to introduce you to Doctor Ffest, our psychologist.”  The older doctor seated next to Doctor Stone smiled at her and the lines at the sides of his black eyes crinkled. “You may call me Fez, dear.”

“Hello, uh, Doctor Fez.”

“No, just Fez.”  Beverly nodded. “We would like Doctor Ffest to spend some time with your husband and get to know him.  We need to know how he is adjusting emotionally, both to the accident he had, and to the artificial heart.”

“Will I be able to be there too?”

“Sometimes.  Ensign, I need to be able to speak frankly with your husband and there may be things he wouldn’t want to say in front of you.”  Beverly shook her head. “No, Fez.  Jean-Luc and I tell each other everything.”  Fez raised his eyebrows.  “Everything?  Does your husband know about your....dominant side?”  Beverly saw red. “Excuse me?  I realise you are a Betazoid, but I would appreciate being able to keep my fantasies to myself.  And, not that it’s any of your business, but my husband knows all about all of my desires and I know his.” 

“I see.”  Beverly glared at the psychologist. “Doctor Stone, may I speak with you privately?”  Doctor Stone nodded at the others to leave the room.  Serif smiled at Beverly before leaving. “I’m going to go and check on your husband.”  Beverly turned to Doctor Stone and her eyes flashed with anger. “Was it really necessary to involve a Betazoid? Jean-Luc is going to _hate_ having someone around who can read his mind.” 

“I’m sorry, Ensign.  It is a necessary part of the healing process.  Doctor Ffest will be able to detect if Jean-Luc is hiding any discomfort from us.”  Beverly snorted. “Yeah, and he probably fuels his night time fantasies with the thoughts that are in our heads!”

“I’m sure he does nothing of the sort.”

“He had no right to read my private thoughts.”  Doctor Stone hung his head. “I’m very sorry for that, Ensign. But we do need Doctor Ffest to evaluate your husband.”  Beverly huffed. “Fine.  Now can I ask you another question?”

“Indeed.” Beverly blushed as she asked her question.  “When can we resume sexual activities?” 

“You are in training to be a doctor, Ensign. Tell me, what would you say if you were the doctor of this patient?” Beverly scrunched up her face. “Probably after the stress test to ensure the new heart could handle it, and I would probably tell the patient to take things slowly for a few weeks.” 

“Bingo.” Beverly blushed again.  “I, ah, don’t really want to have sex in the hospital though.” 

“Hmm. I tell you what, _if_ your husband succeeds and is able to run on the treadmill at the end of this week, we will allow him to leave the hospital for two nights, provided he is back by Monday morning.  I anticipate a few more weeks before we will be able to release him fully, and even then, it might only be to allow him to return to Earth to continue his care.” 

“Mm, tell him that’s his reward and I guarantee he will be running by Saturday morning!”

###

Rolt was talking with Jean-Luc in his room while he was giving him a leg massage.  “I don’t see any reason why you shouldn’t be able to run on that treadmill by Friday, Saturday morning at the latest.”

“Do you think so, Doctor?”

“I’m not a doctor, just call me Rolt.” Rolt massaged Jean-Luc’s calves and he cried out in pain. “Too much?”

“A little.” 

“Sorry,”  Rolt reduced the pressure. “Having a rub down after PT is essential for your muscles to relax again...though I’m sure that wife of yours would be willing to do this.”  Jean-Luc grinned. “Wouldn’t that excite my heart too much?”

“Hmm, perhaps.  But it could be good for you to have a few small experiences before you start running.  I understand you like to run?”

“Yes.  It’s something I started doing when I was a child, and it’s my preferred method of working out.” Rolt smiled. “Well then, I don’t think the treadmill for 20 minutes will be much of a challenge for you.”  Beverly walked into the room. “Ah, and here’s your wife.  I was just giving Ensign Picard a rub down. Would you like to finish it?”  Beverly grinned and ran her hand slowly down Jean-Luc’s back and slipped her hand into his boxers and squeezed his bottom. “Uhm, Bev? I don’t think that’s _quite_ what Rolt meant....but I’m not complaining.”


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are two continuity errors I have to fix - I have Marie telling Beverly she'll "see her in six months", but it should have been four. And I also misread my own notes, so I wrote half a chapter with the surgeon's name being T'Pah, then went away for the weekend and came back and read my notes as T'Pan. I'll go back and fix these things eventually, but probably not tonight as it's past midnight!

Jean-Luc woke up, determined. Beverly had told him if he could do the stress test by Saturday morning, he would be able to leave the hospital wing with her for two nights and she had already booked them into one of the nicer suites on the base.  He would do it. He would run on that treadmill and he would make love to his wife for the first time in almost two months.

The rest of the talk with the doctors didn’t sit quite so well with Jean-Luc.  He was looking at six months or more of recuperation even after the stress test.  Robert and Marie’s wedding was in 10 weeks, and so was the end of the semester for Beverly.  Jean-Luc had negotiated being able to attend and be in his brother’s wedding and then for his care to transfer to Starfleet Medical so Beverly could resume her classes in January.  The earliest Jean-Luc would be released to full duty wouldn’t be until April, but by then Beverly would only have a few more weeks left in her first year and it would make sense for Jean-Luc to put off finding a new assignment until after Beverly’s summer break, though he suspected his wife would sign up for summer classes.  While it was almost nice to have an extra year with his wife, he was still upset and annoyed at his situation. 

Jean-Luc shifted and grimaced.  He needed to use the toilet.  Since he had woken up two days ago, they had been bringing him a commode chair to use as he wasn’t able to walk to the bathroom on his own.  But yesterday he had taken 10 steps on his own, and surely the bathroom was less than 10 steps away?  He gently pulled his arm out from under Beverly and swung his legs out over the side of the bed.  A wave of dizziness threatened to take him, but he stood his ground and carefully placed his feet on the floor and slowly stood.  He clutched the edge of the bed for support, but he seemed to be alright.  He took a few steps towards the bathroom and his knee buckled and he fell with a shout that woke Beverly.

“Jean-Luc?”

“I’m fine, my love.”  Beverly peered over the side of the bed.  “You don’t look fine. Should I get a nurse?”

“No!  Just...help me to the bathroom. I really need to go!”  Beverly rolled her eyes. “Why didn’t you press the button and ask for the commode?” 

“I wanted to walk.”  Beverly raised her eyebrows at her husband as she got out of bed and padded over to him. “And could you?” 

“Well, what do you think?”  He looked up at Beverly and suddenly grinned. “Hey, you aren’t wearing any knickers.  Well that’s cheered me right up!”  Beverly laughed.  “Glad you’re enjoying the show. Now, let me help you up and please call for a chair.” 

“No. I want to do this on my own.”  Beverly sighed. “Fine.”  She helped him to his feet and he used her as a crutch to get to the bathroom.  “Do I need to prop you up while you pee?” 

“Uh...maybe?”  Beverly rolled her eyes and stood behind Jean-Luc with her arms wrapped around his chest while he used the toilet and washed his hands. “You know, I know I said we share everything with each other, but this is _really_ going a bit too far, Jean-Luc.”  Jean-Luc grinned. “You said for better or worse...”

“This is definitely the ‘worse’.... time for you to get better, my love.” 

Naturally, both Serif and Rolt were annoyed with Jean-Luc for trying to walk before he was ready and Rolt decided to put a pair of crutches in his room. “But I didn’t break my leg!”

“No, but you’re still on the weak side. Remember, using the crutches isn’t a bad thing.  Your legs are still getting used to being used again. In fact, unless you are in the physical therapy room, I want you to always us the crutches to walk for now.  We’ll revaluate on Saturday.”  Jean-Luc grumbled, but accepted the use of the crutches.  At least he’d be able to use the bathroom whenever he wanted.

Physical therapy that day was longer and harder than it had been the day before.  In addition to walking using the bars, he was told to us the bicycle at a gentle pace for ten minutes, then to pick up the speed for five.  They attached another monitor to his chest which let out a steady beep as his heart rate increased.  “Good, Ensign Picard.  Your heart is responding exactly how we want it to. How do your legs feel?”

“Like jelly.” Rolt chuckled.  Beverly appeared in a bathing suit and Jean-Luc’s heart rate increased again.  Rolt laughed again and followed the young Ensign’s line of sight. “Ah.  Time for pool therapy.”

Beverly got into the pool with Jean-Luc and explained that he was supposed to hold onto her and kick his legs out behind him. The water would add some buoyancy to his legs and make it easier to exercise them.  He grinned and reached for his wife’s shoulders.  Beverly had him kick up and down the shallow end of the pool where she could stand, and then gave him a kickboard and took him into the deeper water where she swam beside him.  Jean-Luc spent more time admiring his wife’s figure as she slipped in and out of the water and was reminded of their honeymoon when they swam naked in their private pool.  Beverly swam over to him and leaned over his kickboard to give him a kiss. “Your heart monitor is beeping again.  What were you thinking about?”

“You. On our honeymoon.”  Beverly blushed.  “When you’re all better, I think we should go back.”

“I like that idea.  We’ll go for our second anniversary.  We seem to have missed the first one.”

“It’s alright.  We would have been separated anyway.  Now, you need to keep on kicking, mister.  I want twenty more laps.”

“Twenty?”

“Do you want to be able to run on Saturday?” Jean-Luc nodded. “Then get kicking.”

After pool therapy, Jean-Luc was exhausted.  He was handed his crutches and directed to the locker room, where he was able to sit on a bench under the shower spray to take his first shower.  The hot water felt amazing and Jean-Luc couldn’t help but linger under the spray until Rolt knocked on the door.  “Ensign Picard? Are you alright?”

“Er..Sorry Rolt.  This is the first shower I’ve had in two months!”  Through the door, he could hear Rolt laugh.  “That’s fine, Ensign. Take all the time you want.  I just wanted to make sure you were ok.”

After his shower, Jean-Luc used his crutches to move to another bench where he was able to dress himself.  Not in his uniform, but at least it was a step up from the hospital ward issued pyjamas.  He put on a pair of his own soft pyjama bottoms and left the shirt open so the monitor would be visible.  When he emerged from the locker room, Beverly was waiting for him dressed in her medical cadet uniform.  “You look nice.”

“Mm, thanks . I have to do part of my internship after Lunch, but you get to take a nap!”   Jean-Luc grinned and looked around for the orderly with the wheelchair. “No wheelchair?”

“Nah. I convinced Rolt you could use the crutches to walk back. But at any time if you want to rest, let me know and we will stop and sit or get you a wheelchair.”  Jean-Luc nodded, but Beverly knew he wouldn’t stop to rest.  After his nap, he would have a second round of therapy with Rolt and Rolt had told him he would try out the treadmill at a walking pace for ten minutes, then a two minute run followed by another ten minutes walking to see how his legs would handle it.  After his time on the treadmill, Rolt had promised Jean-Luc a soak in the whirlpool tub and had winked when he said he would allow Beverly to join him. 

Beverly was enjoying her internship Doctor Stone had created for her with the help of her advisor at Starfleet Medical.  She was slowly testing out of the first semester classes and gaining useful hands on experience that would count towards her graduation, and in fact would shave off a semester of a future internship.  If she took summer courses for the next two summers, she would even be eligible to move on to her residency six months before her peers.  The internship was demanding work, but Doctor Stone had worked in caring for Jean-Luc into her duties so she only had to spend a few hours each day away from him.  Beverly completed her tasks for the day and made her way to the Physical Therapy room to see how Jean-Luc was doing and she paused in the doorway and smiled.  Rolt had just slowed the treadmill down to a slow walk and Jean-Luc had sweat streaming down his forehead from the effort of the two minutes of running, but he had a huge grin on his face.

“Lookin’ good, Jean-Luc!”  Jean-Luc turned his head and nearly stumbled.  “Oops, sorry love.” 

“Seven more minutes of walking, Ensign. Then you can get in the whirlpool tub with your wife.”  Jean-Luc grinned and reached for the handles on either side of the treadmill. He had managed to walk without touching the rails for a few minutes, and had even managed to run for part of the two minutes without holding on, but his legs were starting to get tired.  A soak in the tub sounded wonderful, especially if Beverly would be with him.  “Ok, Ensign Picard. I’m going to stop the treadmill now.  Place your feet on either side like I showed you before.”  Jean-Luc followed Rolt’s instructions and when the treadmill was turned off, Jean-Luc leant heavily on the bars. 

“Can you walk with the crutches or do you need a wheelchair?”

“I’d really like to try to walk.”  Rolt grinned at his charge. “Of course.”   Jean-Luc made his way to the locker room once more and sat on a bench to put on his swimming trunks and then staggered into the room with the whirlpool where Beverly was waiting for him in the same Starfleet issued one-piece she had worn in the morning.  His heart still fluttered at the sight. He would never get over seeing his wife.  He grinned at her and Rolt.  “Alright, Ensign. I leave you with your wife.  I will return in 45 minutes...behave yourselves.”  Beverly grinned as they entered the pool.  “If you need assistance, press the red button, otherwise, I won’t enter until your time is up. Enjoy.”

Rolt left the room and Jean-Luc immediately pulled Beverly into his arms.  “I love you.”

“I love you too,”  Beverly kissed him tenderly and his arms circled her waist.  “Oh Beverly, I’m so sorry for what I’ve put you through.”  Beverly kissed him again.  “Jean-Luc, it’s alright. I mean, don’t do this to me again, but you’re going to be alright, and that’s all that matters.  Plus, the internship they gave me here is going to help my career, too.”  Jean-Luc grinned against her lips. “Ah, the real reason you stay by my side.  To gain experience.”  Beverly lightly smacked his arm. “Don’t be cheeky.”  Beverly reached behind Jean-Luc and activated the whirlpool. “Right. You’re _supposed_ to be relaxing and allowing the gentle pulses to sooth your muscles.....”  Jean-Luc started tugging at the straps on her swimsuit and kissed her shoulder as he finally lowered a strap and exposed one of her breasts.  He ducked his head and took her breast into his mouth. “ _Jean-Luc....”_

“What?” He grinned around her breast. “I know I was unconscious, but I’m sure I missed this.”  Beverly pulled back and adjusted her suit and Jean-Luc pouted. Beverly sighed. “You know the rules. Not until you pass the stress test. Then, we can make love.” 

“Mm, I’m not sure I could do much right now anyway. I’m knackered. But please would you take off your swimsuit?  I just want to see you...”  Beverly pretended to sigh but pulled off first her swimsuit than his and settled herself against his chest. 

The couple cuddled in the whirlpool and Beverly felt as though they were almost resetting themselves. It had been a long six weeks since Jean-Luc’s accident, and while they had slept in each other’s arms the past two nights on the small hospital bed, this was the first time they had been able to be close to each other.  They revelled in the cuddling until Rolt gently tapped on the door and activated the comm. “I’ll be coming in in five minutes.”  Beverly giggled and passed Jean-Luc his swim trunks while she pulled her suit back on.  “Good of him to give us the warning....” Jean-Luc trailed off and looked at his wife. “You set this up, didn’t you?”

“Maaaaybe.”  Jean-Luc grinned. “I love you.” 

###

Jean-Luc’s third day was similar to the day before.  A morning PT session, this time slightly longer, followed by rest, and a second afternoon session while Beverly worked.  His evening was brightened by a call from Walker. 

_“Hey Johnny! It’s so good to see you awake!”_

“Thanks, Walker.  I understand you stayed with Beverly for several weeks after my accident...thank you.”

_“Aw, it was nothing, Jean-Luc.  Bev was...she was broken, Johnny.  I needed to make sure she was alright  before I could leave her..and I needed to know you would be alright.”_

“She was broken?”  Jean-Luc levelled a gaze at his best friend. “Tell me everything.” Walker sighed. _“You should talk to Beverly.  Do you remember anything that happened when you got stabbed?”_ Jean-Luc nodded. “Wally, I remember everything.  I remember you were holding Beverly back when I got stabbed.”  Walker nodded. _“Someone stunned the Nausicaans, and then Beverly ran to you to try to help.  Once we got to the hospital she went into shock, I think.  She wouldn’t let the nurses look at her so I had to help her change out of her dirty clothing and to shower.”_ Jean-Luc raised his eyebrows at his friend. _“What? I’m gay.  Would you rather it had been Jack or Corey?”_  Jean-Luc snorted.  _“Exactly. After I got her cleaned up, she barely spoke until the nurse...Felix, I think...offered to free your arm from the stasis field so she could hold your hand.  Jean-Luc...I never saw Beverly so vulnerable before.”_   Jean-Luc wiped a tear from his eyes.

“Thank you, Walker.  I don’t know how I can repay you for being here for Beverly.”

_“Eh. Someday, I might need you to return the favour.”_

“Anything, Wal. You know I’ll be there for you.” Walker grinned at his friend. _“So...when do you get out of jail?”_ Jean-Luc chuckled. “Six months.”  Walker’s jaw dropped.  _“Six months?!”_

“Well, they’re going to let me go to Robert and Marie’s wedding in December and then transfer me to Medical so Beverly can resume her studies in January....but it will be at least April before they release me to full duty.” 

_“I’m sorry, Jean-Luc.”_

“Hey, not your fault.  I’m more upset over missing my opportunity to be flight controller. How’s your job treating you?”

 _“Ah, it’s amazing, Jean-Luc.  You know, I could speak with my Captain and maybe we can get you assigned here too.”_ Jean-Luc grinned. “I would love that, Walker.”

 _“Hey, so have you  heard from Corey, Marta, or Jack?”_ Jean-Luc shook his head.  “Beverly said she left messages for all three, but Jack’s been the only other one to call so far.  Were they ok before they left?”

 _“Honestly, I don’t know.  I think Corey wanted to break things off with Marta before they went their separate ways, but you know how much Marta cared for Corey.”_ Jean-Luc nodded.  Marta had confided in him and Beverly that she thought she was in love with Corey and she was disappointed he hadn’t wanted to get married when Beverly and Jean-Luc had announced their engagement. 

“I hope Marta doesn’t lose touch.  It would really hurt Beverly if she stayed away.” 

_“I don’t know, I think your accident shook her up a bit, too. She felt partially responsible.”_

“Well, that’s just silly.  Why?”

_“Because it was Corey who stood up to the Nausicaan and she encouraged you and Corey to fix the table.”_

“Oh. Well, I don’t blame her.  _Or_ Corey.  Accidents happen.  I think we were winning the fight too.  None of us knew the one guy had a knife...” Walker nodded at his friend.  _“So how’s the recovery going?”_

“It’s not bad.  Right now, we’re working on getting my strength back in my legs so I can take a stress test to make sure my new heart is functioning properly.”

_“What’s a stress test?”_

“They’ll hook me up to heart monitors and make me run for twenty minutes on a treadmill, slowly increasing the speed and making sure nothing catastrophic happens.  But the best part happens when I pass the test.”

 _“Oh?”_  

“If I pass it, I get to leave the hospital wing for the weekend and Beverly and I will get to spend the weekend together.”  Walker wiggled his eyebrows at his friend. _“So...your reward is sex?”_ Jean-Luc merely grinned at his best friend in response.  _“Good luck.  I was going to call you over the weekend, but I’ll call you on Monday instead.”_

“Thanks Walker.  And I’m sure Beverly would love to talk to you, too.  Oh, how’s Marc?  Is he alright in the apartment alone?  I feel terrible that Beverly isn’t there, but I can’t help but love that she’s here with me, too.” Walker chuckled. _“He’s a little lonely.  But he’s alright.  We talk all the time. Your brother has been visiting a lot, though I suspect that has to do with his infatuation with my sister...Jean-Luc, tell me I don’t have to worry about their relationship.”_  Jean-Luc shrugged.  “Well, they have been dating since our wedding, right?  So that’s over a year...sounds like Claude is serious about your sister. Should I be welcoming you into the family?”

_“Not yet. Please. Missy is too young to get married.”_

“She’s only a few years younger than us, Wally.  Bev and I got engaged when we were 20.”

 _“Yeah, but that’s you and Beverly. You guys are like a fairy tale’s happily ever after.”_ Jean-Luc blushed. _“Anyway, Johnny. I have to go. Please give Bev my love and I’ll talk to you on Monday?”_

“Sure.  I’ll tell Beverly you’ll be calling so she can plan on being here, too.”

 _“Great! Keel out!”_ When Walker’s face faded, Jean-Luc pushed the monitor to one side and contemplated Walker’s words about Beverly.  Had he been overly harsh with her when he woke up?  It sounded like his accident had been harder on her than she had let on when he woke and he vowed to speak with her when she got back.  He hoped to convey to her how sorry he was for his initial anger, and hoped she knew how much he appreciated her and loved her.

###

“Alright, Ensign.  We’re going to attach these monitors to you and then start up the treadmill. You’ll walk for about ten minutes and then we’ll slowly add speed until you are running at a fairly fast place. You’ll run for twenty minutes as we increase the speed and then we’ll slowly reduce your speed back to a walk.  If your heart is working and pumping properly, your heart rate should rise and there should be no complications whatsoever.  And then, you’ll get released for the weekend.”  Jean-Luc grinned at Rolt.  The past two days, Jean-Luc had steadily increased his time spent on his feet between the treadmill, stationary bike, and swimming.  Yesterday, he had spent nearly two hours in the PT room working and had managed a light jog for half an hour.  He was ready and knew he would pass the test. 

He started out with a slow paced walk and when he nodded, Rolt increased the speed of the walk slightly.  As the speed increased, Jean-Luc walked faster until he was jogging and then running.  He pumped his legs and swung his arms as he ran at his top speed, then he gradually slowed down as Rolt decreased the speed.  When he finally slowed to a slow walk, he let out a long breath and reached for the bottle of water Beverly held out to him. “So? How’d I do?”

“You passed.  Your heart is functioning at a good capacity, but I would still like to work with you on your strength. “

“So, can I go?”

“You may go with your wife....but Doctor Stone expects you back here on Monday no later than 0900 for a check-up and I will see you at 10.  Oh, and make sure you keep the crutches with you and use them to get around if you need them.” 


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fluff and Angst!

Beverly looked around the suite she had booked happily.  It wasn’t their cabana in the South Pacific, but it would do for the weekend.  Despite the fact that they had been sharing a bedroom for over a year, they had only spend the night truly alone a handful of times as usually there were roommates or members of Jean-Luc’s family around.  Beverly couldn’t believe that their belated honeymoon had been only nine weeks ago as so much had happened in that time. 

Jean-Luc used the crutches to enter the suite and then lowered himself into a chair.  Beverly gave him a sympathetic look.  “How do your legs feel?”  Jean-Luc stretched them out in front of him. “Like jelly again. Between the stress test and getting myself here...you didn’t even let me have a soak in the whirlpool before you were dragging me off!”  Beverly smirked.  “That’s because we have our own hot tub. Our own _private_ hot tub.”  Jean-Luc got to his feet and grabbed the crutches.  “Well, why didn’t you say so, my love?”

Jean-Luc revelled in unzipping Beverly’s uniform and tugging the skirt down.  He sat on the edge of the large hot tub and pulled her close, kissing every expanse of bare skin as it was revealed. He nuzzled her neck at just the right spot and Beverly shuddered against him.  “Mm, I’ve missed this.”

“You don’t know how much I wanted to rip your clothing off the minute I woke up....”  Beverly grinned. “I was right there with you, love. Now, let me get _your_ clothes off....” 

Beverly knelt down and licked.  He closed his eyes and bucked his hips as she took him into her mouth.  He shook his head at her and managed to gasp out “No, my love.  I want....”  Beverly gently released him and stood up to kiss him.  “As much as I love it when you do that, I want to make love to you.”  Beverly smiled and got into the tub and held out her hand to help Jean-Luc climb the steps down into the hot tub. 

It was a large square tub with a bench along the edge just low enough for them to submerge up to their shoulders, with the jets hitting the base of their spines and more jets near their legs.  Beverly promptly straddled Jean-Luc’s lap and kissed him deeply.  “Jean-Luc, I can’t wait any longer.  I need you.” 

Jean-Luc positioned himself and entered her and it felt like he was home.  As he pumped in and out he noticed Beverly had begun to sob into his neck.  He stopped moving. “Beverly, my love, are you alright?”  Beverly let out a sniff. “I’m fine, Jean-Luc.  I just....at times I....It was....and I didn’t....” she started to cry again and Jean-Luc withdrew from her to cradle her against him.  He bought one arm under her legs and the other behind her back and held her close while she cried.  He leaned down and kissed her. “Shh, my love. Let it all out. Tell me what you’re thinking and feeling.” 

Beverly took a fortifying breath and wrapped her arms around his neck.  “We didn’t know if you were going to survive.  I didn’t know if I had lost you....there was so much blood and Wally wouldn’t let me go to you right away-“

“I remember that part.  Did you hear me tell you I loved you?” 

“I saw your lips move. Then they stunned the Nausicaans and I ran to you but there was so much blood and I could barely find your pulse...then the medics pulled me off you and Wally held me and when we got to the hospital ward – they let Wally and I ride on the back of the cart with you – I just....shut down.  Wally had to help me change...I couldn’t even wash your blood off of me because all I could think about was how I was losing you.”  Jean-Luc kissed her gently. “I’m here, my love.  I’m sorry. I’m so so sorry for what you went through.”  Beverly impishly grinned. “Walker saw me naked.”

“Well, it wasn’t the first time.  And he told me how he helped you.  I owe Wally a lot if he helped you as much as you and he say he did.”  Beverly nodded. “He did. Those first few days...Wally made sure I was eating and drinking. He told me you would be mad if I wasn’t.”  Jean-Luc chuckled. “He may have been right.”

“And then after the surgery...you still didn’t wake up and I still didn’t know if I had my husband back or if you were going to be unconscious for the rest of your life...but you’re here now. And we’re here.  And everything is fine and so why am I crying so much?”  Jean-Luc smiled and gently lowered her back into the water onto his lap so he could cup her face. “My love...it was traumatic for you.  Crying is ok.   I’m glad you’ve been able to tell me everything...and Bev? I’m sorry if I was a little harsh towards you when I woke up. It was all so....”

“Surreal?”

“Yeah, that’s a good word.  So tell me, why did you have them freeze my sperm?” 

“The...doctor asked me.  Told me that sometimes there are problems...I guess he didn’t want to say you might die, even though I knew that was a possibility.  He told me this way we could still have a baby and I didn’t think rationally, I just told them to do it.  We can have them destroy it.” 

“Do you want a baby now?”

“Maybe?  I don’t know.  I just knew then that if something had happened to you, I wanted to have a piece of you with me.  I suppose that’s silly...”  Jean-Luc hugged her close. “It’s not silly. I think that if you....well, I suppose it would be a bit more difficult.”  Beverly laughed.

“Suppose you could find someone to be a surrogate if you had my eggs.” 

“Hmm. How did we get onto this morbid topic?  Neither one of us are going anywhere, and we will be able to have a baby – _together_ – when we’re ready for one.”  He kissed her again, slowly and deeply.  “I don’t know about you, but I would really like to make love with you right now.”  He wrapped his arm under her legs again and stood with her in his arms and walked over to the steps leading out of the tub. 

“Are you sure you can carry me?”  Jean-Luc sat her down on the edge of the tub and frowned. “It’s alright. I’ll make you a deal. You use the crutches to get over to the bed and I’ll let you pick me up and lay me on the bed.”  Jean-Luc scrunched up his face. “Well, if that’s the most romantic I can be right now...I suppose we’re lucky I don’t have the monitor on right now.”  Beverly nodded. “You don’t, but....I still have to keep an eye on you.”

“Ugh. Do you have to give the doctors intimate details about what we do this weekend?” 

“No....not exactly.  But if your heart starts to beat too fast I have the equipment with us to fix it.  Or if it doesn’t beat fast enough....I’m sorry, I should have told you.”  Jean-Luc shook his head. “It’s alright.  I’m just glad I can finally make love to my wife.” Beverly bit her lip. “Err...about that.  It might be best if I was on top?” 

“Not that I’m going to complain about that, but why?”

“Well...it will put less strain on your heart and muscles.”  Jean-Luc frowned.  “Well, at least we’re alone all weekend.  We _are_ still going to be alone all weekend?”

“Yes.  No need to leave the suite, there’s a fully programmed replicator in the kitchenette.”  Jean-Luc used the steps to exit the tub and reached for his crutches.  “I really _hate_ these.”

“I know.  But just....humour me, alright?  You don’t have to put your full weight on them unless you need to, but just use them as extra support.”  Beverly slid off the edge and grabbed two towels.  She wrapped one around her and used the other to gently dry off her husband.  “Hmm. I don’t like the towel.”

“Why not?”

“It’s covering you up!”  Beverly laughed and removed the towel.  “Better?” 

“Much.”

Jean-Luc was disappointed to discover he didn’t quite have his former stamina back, and he felt embarrassed when he orgasmed after a few minutes.

“I’m sorry, Bev,” Jean-Luc hid his head under a pillow.  Beverly laughed and leaned down and teased the pillow away to kiss him. “It’s alright. It _has_ been a while...and I’ve been teasing you all week....” 

“Mm, yes you have my little minx. But, that doesn’t mean we’re done here....” he rolled them over so he was on top and he kissed her from her collar down to her belly button, pausing to suck on each nipple.   He gently nosed at her curls and deeply inhaled her scent mingling with his.  Beverly lifted her hips to meet his lips.  “Oh, yes, Jean-Luc.   Please?”

“Anything you want, my love.” 

They traded off giving each other pleasure until they were both fully satiated and they drifted off to sleep wrapped in each other’s arms.

###

Beverly woke up in the middle of the night and rested her hand over Jean-Luc’s heart and listened for the steady thump.  So far, his heart was handling everything, but they had taken things slow and gentle.  She traced the small marks left from both the surgery and the knife.  It wouldn’t scar.  In a few more weeks, they would be able to use the dermol regenerator over it and erase all traces of his accident and the surgery.  All traces, except for the mechanical heart now pumping Jean-Luc’s blood. 

Beverly wondered how Jean-Luc was coping.  They had spoken about how his accident had made her feel, but he hadn’t told her how he felt waking up and discovering part of his body missing.  She leaned down and pressed a soft kiss over his heart and Jean-Luc’s eyes fluttered open.  

“Hey.”  Beverly smiled. “Hey, yourself.”  Jean-Luc slowly stretched and pulled Beverly on top of him so he could give her a long kiss. “I love you.”  He wrapped his arms around her and just revelled in the feel of Beverly’s weight on top of him.  She smiled and kissed him back. “I love you too.” 

Jean-Luc shifted and Beverly giggled. “Someone is ready again.” 

“Oh my love, I can’t tell you how much I want you right now.”  Beverly rolled them over so he was on top.  She wrapped her legs around his hips.  “I want you too.” 

Their lovemaking was slow and languid. Jean-Luc’s heart behaved itself and he was pleased he wasn’t going to repeat his earlier mistiming.  Beverly reached her climax and Jean-Luc followed soon after.  

Jean-Luc was spooning Beverly close, perhaps a little _too_ tight, but Beverly wasn’t going to complain.  He had his nose buried in her hair and he was breathing in the floral scent of her hair that had captivated him from the moment he had met her.  Jean-Luc was so relieved he was able to still have the same reaction to smelling her hair he let out a sob.  Beverly tried to roll over to face him, but he held onto her tightly and wouldn’t let her as he sobbed into her hair.  “Jean-Luc?  Please...let me look at you.”

“No...I can’t let you see me.”  Beverly squeezed his hand that was wrapped around her middle.  “Why not?”

“I’m being stupid.” Beverly smiled. “Hang on, if I wasn’t being stupid earlier, you’re not being stupid now.  Talk to me, my love. Please?”  Jean-Luc loosened his grip on her and she turned over to face him and she gently kissed him.  “Tell me.” 

“I was just so relieved to smell your hair and still have the same reaction....I know it’s silly.  We’ve made love twice and I’ve wanted to be with you for the past week, but I couldn’t help but be afraid that my mechanical heart would make me unable to feel anything...”  Tears filled Beverly’s eyes.  “Oh, Jean-Luc. My love.  They may call it the heart, but it’s all in here.” She tapped his head. 

“But I don’t feel that...quickening...that tightening of my chest and tingling I used to feel...what if I can’t love anymore?” 

“Sweetheart, I’m fairly certain what we’ve been doing is plenty proof you can still love.” 

“Maybe.” Beverly sat up and pushed Jean-Luc onto his back.  “Close your eyes.”

“What?”

“Close ‘em and don’t open them until I tell you to.” 

“Oh....kay....” Jean-Luc closed his eyes.  “Are they closed nice and tight? Do I have to blindfold you?”  Jean-Luc raised his eyebrows even though he couldn’t see her face. “Kinky.” Jean-Luc felt Beverly get up from the bed. “Hey, where are you going?” 

“Getting something to blindfold you with.”  Jean-Luc smirked.  Beverly soon wrapped a length of silk around his eyes and tied it.  “There.” 

“What is that?”

“The belt off my dressing gown.  Now, I just want you to _feel_.” 

“Uhh...well, I kinda feel cold right now.”  Beverly giggled.  “Sorry. I’ll be back in bed soon.” 

“You better.”  Beverly leaned over and ran her finger slowly down Jean-Luc’s chest, and he shivered in response. “What do you feel?”

“It tingled a little.”

“Why?”

“I was surprised...and I knew it was your finger.”  Beverly grinned.  She kissed him deeply and Jean-Luc kissed her back and smiled against her lips. She broke off the kiss. “How did that feel?”

“Wonderful. Amazing.  I love you.”

“I love you, too.  So tell me, how did your body feel when I kissed you?” He grinned.  “It felt....tingly.  Like when you touched me with your finger, but more intense.”  Beverly smiled and untied the blindfold. “See? I told you you could still feel.”

“Mm. Who need psychologists when we have the very scientific blindfold?”  Beverly smacked him with the blindfold.  “Hey, it’s either experimenting with me, or talking to the psychologist.  I mean, Ok, you’ll probably still have to talk to the psychologist but....”

“I’d rather work through things with you.”  Beverly leaned down and kissed his nose. “Good.  Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry.  You still can’t have any real wine, but we can have some synthetic wine.”  Jean-Luc made a face. 

“No. If I can’t have the real stuff, I don’t want the replicated stuff.”  Beverly laughed. “Wine snob.”

“Yep. I can’t help it that I grew up on a vineyard.”  Beverly smirked. “Fine. How about some sparkling fruit juice?”  Jean-Luc nodded.  “Great! I’ll be right back.” 

“Uhm...Bev? Can you pass me my crutches? I need to pee.” 

“Sure.”

When Jean-Luc made his way back to the bed, Beverly brandished a hypospray at Jean-Luc.

“Sorry, my love. It’s time for your medication.”  Jean-Luc made a face. “Do I have to?”

“Well...if you don’t want your body to reject the implant....yes.”

“When you put it that way...fine.  Are you allowed to administer it?”  Beverly grinned. “Strictly speaking, since I’m just a med student...not without supervision.  But I got special permission from Doctor Stone.  Otherwise, this weekend wouldn’t be possible.”  She gently pressed the dispenser against Jean-Luc’s neck and hit the release button.  The medicine distributed with a small ‘hiss’ and Beverly placed the Hypospay on the bedside table. “You still have to have it four times per day. I’m sorry, Love.” 

“No, I’d rather have drugs than be dead...but will I be on this for the rest of my life?”  Beverly shook her head. “You shouldn’t be.  I did some reading, and most people who receive an artificial organ only require the medication for the first six months.  Fortunately for you, you’re married to a future doctor so I should be able to easily monitor you.”  Jean-Luc leaned over and kissed her. “Knew there was a reason for marrying you.”  Beverly rolled her eyes. 

“Ha. Ha.”  Beverly passed him a glass of sparkling apple juice and clinked hers against his. “To...”

“You. For staying by my side and not giving up on me.”  Beverly had tears glinting in her eyes as she clinked her glass against his.  “I would never give up on you, Jean-Luc. Never.”  Beverly leaned over and placed a soft kiss on Jean-Luc’s lips.  He deepened the kiss and Beverly moaned into his mouth.  Jean-Luc took the glass from her hand and placed it on the bedside table before laying down with his wife and letting his hands roam over her body. 

###

“Do you want to do anything today?”  Beverly had just finished drying her hair after their shared shower and was going through the bag she packed looking for something to wear. 

“I hadn’t thought about much beyond you and that bed over there.”  Beverly grinned.  “Me too, but I thought since you hadn’t been anywhere except the hospital for the past two months you might want to go for a walk?” 

“Sure. Why don’t we go out for Lunch.” 

Beverly and Jean-Luc walked into the bar where just a few short months ago Jean-Luc had almost lost his life and he shuddered.  Beverly squeezed his hand. “Are you sure you want to eat here? There are other restaurant on the base...some that are Starfleet only...”

“I’m sure, Beverly.  I needed to face the place where it happened.”

“I see a table over there. Why don’t you go sit and I’ll place our order?” Jean-Luc nodded and kissed Beverly’s cheek before moving to one of the empty tables ringing the dom-jot tables.  He glanced at the dom-jot table and froze.  A Nausicaan was playing the game with an Andoran. 

Beverly placed their order and carried the non-alcoholic drinks over to where she had left Jean-Luc.  He was frozen in place, staring at the dom-jot table.  Distantly, she heard the Nausicaan speak to Jean-Luc.  “Human play dom-jot?  She rushed over to Jean-Luc and placed her hand on his elbow.  She leaned in close to his ear and spoke softly, “Are you alright?”  Jean-Luc continued to watch the Nausicaan. 

“I asked you a question, human.  Play dom-jot?” 

“I.....”  The Nausicaan stared at Jean-Luc and Beverly.  “Answer, human.” 

“Uh....”  The Nausicaan took a step towards Jean-Luc.  He panicked.  He turned around and ran out of the bar, with Beverly running after him. “Jean-Luc...come back...please?” 

Jean-Luc stopped when he could hear his heart beating in his head.  He was out of breath and he clutched at his chest.  Beverly caught up to him and found him in a heap on the ground struggling to keep his breathing even. 

“Shh, Jean-Luc...you’re alright. You’re with me.  That Nausicaan wasn’t going to hurt you. He was alone.  Come here, Jean-Luc.  Rest your head in my lap and lay down.”  Beverly sat on the floor and when Jean-Luc had his head in her lap, she started gently stroking his temple.  “Listen to my voice, my love. Breathe in slowly as we count to five, alright? 1...2....3...4...5...now let the breath out while I count.  1...2...3....4...5...let’s do it again.  1...2...3...4...5...”  Jean-Luc began to visibly collapse and Beverly moved her fingers to his wrist to check his pulse. 

“Beverly...what just happened?”

“I think you had a panic attack when you saw the Nausicaan.” 

“I’ve never had a panic attack before.”  Beverly leaned down and pressed a kiss on his forehead.  “Let’s go back to our suite.  We’ll replicate some Lunch and we can talk about this.”

“Do we have to cut our weekend short now?”  Beverly shook her head “No, love.  Only if you had an emergency, but your heart rate seems to be returning  to normal.”

“When we get back, can we cuddle?”  Beverly grinned. “Naturally.”

When they entered their suite, Beverly kicked off her shoes and Jean-Luc had his lips on her immediately.  “Thought you wanted to cuddle.”  Jean-Luc lifted her shirt off over her head and kissed her chest. “Mm, changed my mind.” 


	16. Chapter 16

“So tell me about your panic attack, Ensign.”  Jean-Luc was attending a solo session with the psychologist, Doctor Ffest.

“I’d rather not.”  Jean-Luc glared at the doctor.  He was not happy about needing to be evaluated by this man, especially after he and Beverly had been working through any of his emotional problems together.  Even worse for him was the doctor refused to allow Beverly to be present for his sessions, stating that Jean-Luc might hide something if his wife was in the room.  Of course, there was nothing Jean-Luc hadn’t told Beverly, and if there was, it was only because it hadn’t come up yet and not because he didn’t want to tell her.  Jean-Luc sighed. 

“I already know what happened.”

“Then why ask me?”

“I want you to tell me in your own words.” Fez sat back and gave Jean-Luc an inquisitive look. “Beverly said I had a panic attack.”  Fez frowned. “No, I don’t want to hear what your wife said. I want to hear what you think happened.” 

“Well, I think my wife is correct.”

“I see.  And do you always agree with your wife?” 

“Er...mostly?”

“So how do you feel about her having made the decision for you about getting your artificial heart.” 

“Uhh....weren’t we talking about my panic attack?”  Fez nodded. “And now we’re talking about your wife. You’re the one who brought her up.”

“I...ah....Beverly made the best decision based on what was offered to her.”

“I see. And how does that make you feel?”  Jean-Luc glared. “Well, alive is better than being dead, isn’t it?” 

“You tell me, Ensign.”  Jean-Luc rose from his chair. “Look, I don’t really think this is helping.  Beverly has been helping me process a lot of things and frankly, she does a better job at it than you and she isn’t studying to be a psychologist.  I think this session is over.”  Jean-Luc reached for his crutches and panicked when they weren’t next to his chair.  He hadn’t noticed, but Fez had moved his crutches to the other side of the room.  Jean-Luc sighed again. “Do you think by moving my crutches I will somehow stay?”

“I will return them at the end of our session.”

“No, I don’t think so.”  Jean-Luc carefully and slowly walked over to where the crutches were resting against the wall and panted from the effort.  “I’ll be leaving now.”  He grabbed his crutches and leaned heavily on them as he left the psychologist’s office.  He got halfway down the corridor when he slumped into a chair in a nearby waiting room.  A nurse came over to ask if she could help him and he asked for his wife to be paged. 

Beverly found Jean-Luc sipping a cup of tea a nurse brought him in the waiting room near the obstetrician section.   She ran to him and knelt down by his chair. “Jean-Luc?  Are you alright?”

“No.  Beverly...I detest that man.  If he’s the person who has to certify me to return to my duties than I am afraid I will be the youngest person to ever resign their commission.” 

“Don’t say that.” 

“He’s...awful.  I know he can read my mind, so I know he knows how much I dislike him and then he deliberately asked me questions just to upset me!”  Beverly sat on the chair next to Jean-Luc and wrapped her arm around his shoulder. “Like what?”

“First he asked me about what happened when I saw the Nausicaan. I told him you thought I had a panic attack, and then he started in on did I always listen to you....and I told him you were usually right,”  Beverly smirked.  “Then he started asking me how I felt about you making the decision to save me....I mean, what kind of question is that?  Would anyone actually say ‘I want to die’?” 

“Maybe some people might.  I mean, some people kill themselves, so that’s  like wanting to die.  There’s actually a unit on assisted suicide I’ll have to take.”

“Assisted suicide?”

“Yeah, like if something happened to someone that would leave them at a low quality of life and they wanted to just end their life, but they couldn’t, we could give them drugs that would basically kill them.” 

“So...you’d be a murderer? What about do no harm?”  Beverly patted Jean-Luc’s shoulder. “Ah, and there’s the debate doctors have been having for centuries.” 

“Where do you stand on it?”

“Bit heavy of a question this early in the day.  Honestly, Jean-Luc?  I don’t know yet.  I guess I can see why death might be preferred to having what some people would describe as half a life, but at the same time....I think I would do everything I could to save them.”  Jean-Luc nodded. “Did I ever tell you how very glad I am you told the medics to save me whatever the cost?”  Beverly grinned.  “Not in words, you haven’t...”  Jean-Luc looked around and seeing the empty waiting room he pulled her close and kissed her.  “Well, I will be forever grateful.”

“Mm. Forever is a long time.”

“It is indeed, my love.  And you’re stuck with me now.”

“I think I can cope with that.”  Beverly patted his leg. “Come on, let’s get you back to your room and we’ll talk to Doctor Stone about Fez.  Plus, I think you have some more PT this morning?” 

“1100. Rolt wants to see if my legs are any stronger. I might be able to get rid of at least one crutch.”

“Oh, Jean-Luc, that would be wonderful!”

Doctor Stone was waiting for them when they returned to Jean-Luc’s room.  “I understand you walked out on your counselling session?”  Jean-Luc hung his head. “I’m sorry, Doctor. Fez....”

“Is a little harsh,” Doctor Stone finished for him.  “I know he is, and I’m sorry we had to assign him to you, but Starfleet requirements....”  Doctor Stone sighed.  “I can’t get you reassigned, but I _can_ ensure you aren’t alone with him.  As your spouse, you may request that Ensign Picard attends your sessions, or you may ask for a chaperone and have Nurse Felix attend with you.” Jean-Luc opened his mouth to speak and Doctor Stone held up his hand. “I know, you don’t keep anything from your lovely wife, but there may be some things you don’t want her to hear.”  Jean-Luc shook his head.

“No, Doctor.  I don’t keep anything from Beverly. Anything she doesn’t know is simply because it hasn’t come up yet.”  Beverly reached for Jean-Luc’s hand and gave it a squeeze. 

“Jean-Luc, that reminds me. Fez read my mind when we were in a meeting and seems to think I want to dominate you.”  She blushed a little and Jean-Luc raised his eyebrows at her. “Oh?”

“Something about not keeping you tied to a bed came up and I had a fleeting thought....”  She blushed again.  “Fez called it out in front of Doctor Stone, T’Pah, Serif, and Rolt.”  Jean-Luc’s eyes blazed and he turned back to Doctor Stone.  “Doctor, are you _sure_ there isn’t anyone else I could speak to?” 

Doctor Stone shook his head. “I’m sorry, Ensign.”  Jean-Luc sighed. “Fine. I’ll talk to him....but I’ll be counting down the days until I return to Earth and don’t have to see him!” 

After Doctor Stone left, Jean-Luc turned to Beverly. “I hope I never have to serve with a Betazoid. I’m not sure I could handle their constant probing into my mind.  At least Vulcans have to touch you.”  Beverly softly smiled. “Do I smell prejudice, my dear husband?  If you want to be a starship Captain....” 

“I know, I know.  But I’m allowed to not _like_ someone, aren’t I?” 

“Well, yes, but I don’t think we should write off an entire race of people just because of one bad one.”  Jean-Luc sighed. “I hate it when you’re right.”  Beverly kissed his nose. “Thought I was _always_ right?”

“I didn’t say always....I said usually.....”

“Hmm. Same thing.” 

###

Rolt was pleased with Jean-Luc’s progress and thought the weekend away with his wife, even if he had suffered a panic attack, had still done him a world of good.  Jean-Luc entered the PT room and announced he was determined to get rid of the crutches – both of them – by the end of the week.  Rolt agreed, though told him he would still have regular physical therapy to strengthen his muscles even if he was able to walk without crutches. 

Rolt set him up on the leg press machine and asked him to do twenty reps on a low weight setting.  After twelve, Jean-Luc was feeling the strain and he admitted it to Rolt while he struggled to complete the last eight. 

“Thank you for admitting it to me, Ensign.  I think perhaps a little more pool therapy before we try the weight machines again.  How about you try swimming without the aid of a kickboard?”

“Will Beverly be in the pool with me?”  Rolt laughed. “Will she be a distraction?”

“Uhm...maybe?”   Rolt chuckled again. “Your honesty will get you in trouble one day, Ensign.  But yes, I can have her paged and if she’s not busy she may accompany you in the pool.  Now, I want you to carry the crutches with you to the locker room and keep them nearby if you feel you need them, but I’d like to see you walk without them from here to the locker room and from the locker room to the pool.” Jean-Luc grinned. “I walked across a room this morning without them.  Left me knackered, but I did it.” 

“Yes, I heard from Doctor Stone about your appointment.  I will be speaking with Doctor Ffest about moving your crutches. If you need them, they need to be available.”

To Jean-Luc’s delight, he walked the short distance to the locker room without the aid of the crutches, but he did need to sit down to change into his swimming trunks and to catch his breath.  He then walked from the locker room to the edge of the pool and sat down with his legs dangling in the water.  “How do you feel?”

“Honestly Rolt?  A little tired.” 

“Can you compare it to how you felt before trying to walk without crutches?”

“Well, the first time I tried, before you gave me the crutches, I fell.  The second time I didn’t use them I only took a few steps in our suite over the weekend. And then this morning after Fez...I used the crutches after I walked to them but I didn’t get very far before I had to sit.” 

“And now?”

“Just a little out of breath.”  Rolt nodded. “Do your legs hurt?”

“Hmm..a little, but not as much as they did this morning. I think they hurt more from that leg press machine than walking. Couldn’t I use the treadmill instead?”

“This afternoon, yes.  But we want to get those muscles back in shape.”  Jean-Luc nodded and started to speak but then he saw Beverly and his breath whooshed out.  Rolt followed Jean-Luc’s eye and grinned. “Right then. I want 25 laps unassisted, then you can do whatever you want for the rest of your time in the pool.....er...within reason, alright?  There is still public access here...”  Beverly blushed.  “What do you want me to do, Rolt?”

“Swim with your husband. Monitor him.  If you think he can’t do all 25 laps, he can use a kickboard.”  Beverly nodded and slid into the pool.  “Are you staying?”

“I’ll stay for the first few laps in case you need any help, but honestly, I think you can handle things.” 

Jean-Luc used the steps at the shallow end of the pool and stayed in the lane at the edge of the pool in case he needed to stop and slowly swam to the other end of the pool.  He stopped and looked over at Rolt. “How am I doing?”

“Good!  Do four more laps at a slow pace but slowly increase your speed, then pick up the pace for about eight laps, then two slow, then eight more faster laps, and then two to cool down . Remember, you want to give your heart a little work out too.  A little bit like how you would run – you would slowly increase your speed and then cool down.”  Jean-Luc nodded and picked up the pace on his return length.  Beverly called out “One!” 

“One?  Surely that was two!”  Beverly laughed and shook her head. “Nope.  One lap is back and forth!”  Jean-Luc muttered “Slave driver” but he had a grin on his face as he swam his second lap.  Rolt stayed until Jean-Luc picked up his speed and could see Beverly was taking her job seriously.  He turned to her. “I’ll be in my office if you need me.  After Ensign Picard is done his laps, you may have free swim for an hour or until you think he’s had enough.  We’re going to get him on the treadmill again this afternoon, so try not to tire him out _too_ much.”  Beverly mischievously grinned at the therapist.  “Would I?” Rolt shook his head as he retreated to his office. _Those two were made for each other._

“Alright, Jean-Luc, slow your pace for a few laps, but don’t stop. You’re doing amazing!”  Beverly decided to swim the slow paced laps next to Jean-Luc.  She could tell by the look on his face he was pushing himself, and she wondered if she should stop him.  She called over to him. “If you need the kickboard, just stop and say.”  Jean-Luc gave her a slight nod, but kept on swimming and when she told him it was time to pick up the pace, he didn’t complain. 

He swam five laps at the faster pace, and Beverly could tell it was starting to hurt him so she called out “last fast lap!” 

“It’s not!  Three...more!”  Jean-Luc huffed out while he swam.  Beverly rolled her eyes. Of _course_  Jean-Luc had kept count on his own.  Jean-Luc slowed for his final two laps and when he reached the shallow end at the end, he flipped onto his back and floated.  Beverly swam over to him. “How do you feel?”

“Tired.  But really good.”  Beverly beamed. “Good.  Now, Rolt said we could have an hour in the pool..”  Jean-Luc grinned and stood in the pool and pulled Beverly into his arms.  She wrapped her legs around his waist and kissed him, but whispered against his lips, “He couldn’t give us any privacy here, but maybe we can use the whirlpool later....”  Beverly climbled onto his back. “Ok, swim with me on your back.”

“What?”

“I want you to try to move with me on your back.  Come on, you can do it.” 

“A whole lap?”

“Nah. We’ll stay in the shallower water so you can just walk for now.  I just want to see if you can move a little more weight around.  I heard what happened with the leg press machine this morning.” Jean-Luc lowered his head. “I should have been able to do it.  I used to use the machines on campus all the time.”

“I know, love. But remember- you were lying down for six weeks _and_ your body is getting used to a new organ.  Please don’t be discouraged if things don’t come back right away, but I promise, there won’t be anything you won’t be able to do.”  Beverly leaned forward and kissed the back of his head.  Jean-Luc sighed. “It’s just so hard, Bev.  I want to be myself again...but will I ever be?”  Beverly, sensing that this wasn’t the sort of conversation you wanted to have without looking at the other person slid off his back and moved to stand in front of him.  “Yes, you will.” 

“Even without my real heart?”  Beverly placed her hand over his chest. “This _is_ your real heart.  Just because it isn’t your original, doesn’t mean it isn’t real. “

“It’s artificial.”

“So?  Lots of people have artificial body parts.  If you lost a limb in an accident, you would have a replacement limb. If you had been stabbed in your liver, you’d have a replacement liver.”

“Yeah, but that would have been cloned. Why can’t my heart be cloned?”  Beverly shook her head.  “Honestly? I don’t know. It’s something I might like to explore and research, though I don’t think I would want my husband to be my first human subject!”

“You would research this for me?”  Beverly nodded.  “It wouldn’t take away from my other studies, it could be a side research project.  Might take years though.....”  Jean-Luc grabbed her again and kissed her. “Good thing I plan on sticking around, then.” 

“Hmm, indeed. Right then, do you want to do more swimming? ”  Jean-Luc grinned at her. “What does my doctor think I should do?” 

“Uh, I can press the call button and we can ask...” she trailed off, noticing his grin. “Me? You mean me?”

“Yes, you.”  Beverly scrunched up her face. “Right. Well, I think you’ve had a decent work out swimming laps and I really do think you should have accepted a kickboard, but I know you’re stubborn.  Why don’t we play a game in the water?”

“A game?”

“Yep. I’m going to get some of those weighted rings and toss them all over the pool and then we’re going to look for them.  The one who gets the most rings, wins.”  Jean-Luc’s eyes gleamed. “What do we win?”

“That’s for you to find out if you win!”  Beverly got out of the pool and rummaged in one of the large plastic trunks until she found a dozen rings.  “Now close your eyes so you don’t see where they land.”

“No fair. You’ll be able to see.”

“Hmm, I’ll close my eyes while I toss them, ok?  Ready? Close your eyes!”  Beverly closed her eyes and threw the rings at the pool.  She heard one clatter to the tiles. “Oops, I’ll have to open my eyes to find that one so I can throw it again. I won’t look in the water though!”  Beverly found the ring and closed her eyes and tossed it.  “Ok, open your eyes!”  Beverly jumped back into the pool. “If you feel tired, let me know and we’ll stop.  Or if you feel out of breath from diving.”  Jean-Luc nodded and dove underwater to swim.  He emerged a minute later with a ring in his hands. “That’s one,” he said as he placed it on the side of the pool. Beverly laughed and dove for her own ring. 

They played three rounds, and Jean-Luc had beaten Beverly by two.  Beverly hauled herself out of the pool and grabbed a towel.  “Good work, Jean-Luc,” she passed him a towel as he sat on one of the benches lining the wall. 

“Work? That was work?” Beverly nodded. “By diving and holding your breath, you were still working your heart and lungs, plus the swimming was still exercising your arms and legs.” 

“Sneaky.”

“Yep.  But fun!”  Jean-Luc tugged Beverly until she was standing in front of him and gave her a long kiss.  “Can you come in the locker room with me?”  Beverly grinned and made her way over to a console and checked the schedule. “Well, no one else is scheduled to be here.  If we lock the door....”

“Come on, I need someone to scrub my back.”  Jean-Luc slowly rose from the bench and stood on shaky legs. “Uhm, maybe I need to use the crutches right now.”  Beverly grinned and passed him one, but held onto the other. “Try it with just one.” 

Beverly helped Jean-Luc in the shower but was reluctant to make love to him in a public area.  “But...Beverly, it’s no different than being at the Tally-Ho!” 

“We never had sex at the Tally-Ho!”  Jean-Luc grinned. “I do remember one scintillating night  when you handed me your knickers and then got on my lap  in that booth wearing a very short skirt...”  Beverly blushed.  Jean-Luc grinned again. “I love it when you blush.  It spreads all the way to your chest.  Come here, please?”  Beverly walked over to him and kissed him. 

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.  Bev...I’m stuck in this hospital for another 9 weeks before we go to my parent’s house and I don’t want to go that long without being able to touch you...not if we’re together....” he ran his hands down her sides and gripped her hips. 

“I suppose it’s a shame to let this bench go to waste!”

###

“Ensign Picard, I see you will be having all sessions with me with your wife present.”

“Yes, Doctor Ffest.  After last time...I felt it was prudent to have someone here with me.”  Fez gazed down at Jean-Luc over the tops of his small spectacles. “I see. And why your wife and not Nurse Felix?  Or someone else?”

“I would only wind up telling Beverly everything that happened.” 

“Everything?”

“Yes.  Everything.”

“I see. Well then, Ensign Picard,”  Fez looked over at Beverly to address her. “You will be permitted to stay but you will not interfere with your husband’s therapy and only will speak if a question is directed at you. Do I make myself clear?”

“Crystal.”  Beverly reached for Jean-Luc’s hand.

“Now then, Ensign Picard. I want you to be honest and tell me how you really feel about your accident....”


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jean-Luc walks out on his psychologist and gets a visit from an old friend.

When Jean-Luc walked into his Physical Therapy appointment four weeks later, he was surprised to find all of the machinery pushed to the edges of the room and in the middle of the room was a thick mat like the kind he used to wrestle on.  Rolt emerged, clad in a white robe.  “Good morning, Jean-Luc.  Ready for something a little different today?”

“Er....sure.” 

“I read that you wrestled at the Academy and I thought we would have a go at sparing today.” 

“Uhm...Rolt, I’m not sure sparring is really what it’s called when we wrestle. I think you’re thinking more about martial arts.”  Rolt frowned.  “I thought I looked things up.  Well...do you do martial arts?” 

“A little,  it was more something my friends Walker and Jack were in to, but I took a few classes with them.”

“Great! Why don’t you go change and show me what you can do.” 

An hour later, Jean-Luc had worked up a sweat and was feeling sore. “You did this deliberately, didn’t you?”

“Guilty. I knew the differences between wrestling and martial arts, but I thought we would see what you could do, and I’m impressed.”  Jean-Luc was lying flat on the mat.  “Really? Because I’m exhausted!” 

“You’re doing so well, Jean-Luc. Honestly.  Six more weeks before you return to Earth, and as long as you follow the exercise plan we lay out, you won’t need to visit the Therapy department at Medical.”  Jean-Luc grinned at Rolt. “You think with a wife like Beverly, I would be able to do anything but follow my plans?” 

“Truth.  So tell me about your home town?”

“Well, it’s a village.  There’s only about fifty residents.  Two vineyards, a church, a small bakery, a butcher’s, and well, that’s about it.  Oh, and a few farms.  In fact, we probably more than double the population when it’s time to harvest and all the farms and the vineyard employ temporary workers.”

“Sounds peaceful.”

“I suppose it is. Probably why I was itching to get out!” 

“You have your brother’s wedding to attend...what else will you be doing when you’re home?”  Jean-Luc grinned. “No doubt Maman will try to spoil me and my little brother will just take the piss out of me.  I’m hoping to be able to ride my horse?”  Rolt nodded. “I don’t see why not.  I don’t think I would go out on your own...does Beverly ride?”

“She does.  She doesn’t find it as much fun as I do, but if I need to take someone along, she’ll go.”  Rolt smiled.  “Right. Break over.  Come on, let’s work some more.”

“Do I have to?”

“Tell you what, another half hour and I’ll let you and Beverly use the hot tub.”  Jean-Luc grinned. “You really are quite good to us, you know that, Rolt?”

“Well, I know what it’s like to be young and in love.”

“Are you married?”

“Ten years.  His name is Bryce.  Actually, you might have seen him – he tends bar over at the leisure centre.” 

“I don’t think I could tell you what the bartender looked like if I’m honest.  I try not to think about that day, but Doctor Ffest thinks I should.”  Rolt gave a knowing smile. “Is he still hounding you?”  Jean-Luc sighed. “A little.  It’s just not very pleasant when he can just pull out of my mind all the things I don’t want to say to him. And I could do with not having to think about the accident.  It happened and I’m over it, I don’t need to hash it out in detail.” 

“Well, only six more weeks of the man and then you’ll be assigned to someone at Medical on Earth.” 

“Just as long as it’s not another Betazoid,”  Jean-Luc shuddered. “I know Beverly thinks I’m being prejudiced, but he’s just souring my feelings towards Betaziod counsellors in general.” 

The half hour soon passed and Jean-Luc found himself ready for the soak in the bath. Having his wife join him was a nice treat, but Jean-Luc wasn’t sure if he would be able to fully appreciate her, then shook his head. Of _course_ he would appreciate his wife. 

###

Jean-Luc wanted to interact with a Nausicaan.  He expressed his thoughts at his appointment with Fez, but Fez shook his head. “What if you freeze up?”

“What if I don’t? If I want to be a starship Captain....I might have to talk to a Nausicaan again.”

“Beverly, what do you think?”  Beverly had, for the most part, remained silent for the duration of Jean-Luc’s sessions.  “I think it’s a good idea.”

“No you don’t.” Beverly glared. “Excuse me?”

“You’re worried your husband will suffer another panic attack.” 

“Well...sure,  of course I’m worried. But that doesn’t mean I don’t think he should face one again.  Besides, he’s been cooped up for the past four weeks.  I think Jean-Luc deserves another weekend away from the facility, don’t you?” 

“That’s for Doctor Stone to decide, not me.  But if this sets your husband back....”  Beverly raised her eyebrows. “You’re really not a very good counsellor, are you?  You should be challenging your patients to face their fears, not trying to keep them away from them. How did you get this job, anyway?”

“ _Beverly_....” Jean-Luc gave her a warning glance.  Beverly held up her hand. “No, Jean-Luc, please let me finish.  My husband has been seeing you for the past month, correct?”

“Yes.”

“And in that month...have you made any progress at his appointments? Or have they just been one giant waste of time because Jean-Luc would rather talk to me, our best friends, his brother, Rolt, or Serif about everything than you? Hmm?”

“Yes, let’s talk about those friends of yours, shall we, Ensign? I notice that none of your supposed best friends have visited you at all since you have woken up, nor has your family.  Doesn’t that make you angry?”

“Uh...No?”  Jean-Luc supplied. “My family run a vineyard in France. It’s not exactly easy to get away, particularly at this time of year.  My best friend – Walker Keel – stayed as long as his CO let him after my accident, and either Beverly or myself have spoken with him almost daily.”

“And your other friends?  A Jack, Corey, and Marta?”

“Doctor Ffest, what are you trying to do? Are you trying to break my husband?  All of our friends are away on missions.  This doesn’t make them less of a friend.”

“Ah, but your friend Marta hasn’t called because she feels guilty.”

“GET OUT OF MY HEAD! That was a private conversation I had with Walker.”

“But you don’t keep secrets, you said.”

“From Beverly? No. From others? Yes. My life is private and between me and Beverly.”

“And you keep absolutely nothing from your wife?”  Jean-Luc glared. “No. I do not.  And if you’re going to try to pull something miniscule out of my head that I haven’t told Beverly, it’s not because I am hiding anything from her, it simply hasn’t come up in our conversations!”  Jean-Luc glared again, daring the Betazoid to pull something out of his head.  The doctor opened his mouth to speak, then closed it.

“Right. I think my husband is done here.”

“He won’t be released back onto active duty without a psychiatric evaluation....”  Fez tempered.  “That’s fine. We transfer to Starfleet Medical in December.  He’ll get his evaluation there...and don’t even think of putting something in his file.”

“Making decisions for your spouse again, Mrs Picard?”  Beverly glared and stood up and reached for Jean-Luc’s hand. “I am.  And you can search through both our heads all you want but I’m sure if Jean-Luc didn’t agree with me he would tell me right now!”  Fez looked at Jean-Luc and sighed.  He knew he shouldn’t have been so harsh on the young man, but the man standing in front of him should be dead. You don’t get rewarded for being in fights, and Jean-Luc receiving his artificial heart seemed _exactly_  like a reward to Fez.  “Fine. Leave.”

Jean-Luc strode out of the office holding Beverly’s hand and she tugged him in the opposite direction from their room.  “Where are we going?”

“To see Doctor Stone!  I’m making sure he knows everything that just happened so Ffest can’t put anything in your records claiming you refused his care.” 

“Oh.  Would that be a bad thing?”

“Yes.  You _do_ need a psychiatric evaluation as well as a full physical before you will be released for active duty, but you don’t _need_ his care or counsel. You just need to speak with someone and be evaluated. Fortunately, I can contact my Psychology professor and get a recommendation once we’re back on Earth.”

“When did you take Psychology?”

“Second year. It’s part of the general ed requirements for pre-med.  Surprised you don’t remember. I grumbled about it often enough.”  Jean-Luc thought for a minute and then laughed. “Now I remember. You kept saying it wasn’t real medicine.”

“Yep.  But the professor was amazing.  In fact, after we speak with Doctor Stone, I think I’ll send him a message. See if he knows anything about this Ffest.”

###

“Knock, knock!”  Jean-Luc looked up from the sofa in his room.  As a long-term patient who didn’t require quite the same level of care he needed at the beginning, he had been moved into a small flat he could share with Beverly.  The flat was compact, with a small bedroom and bathroom off a sitting room/kitchenette that was about the same size as his old bedroom at his parent’s house, but it was nice to not have to sleep in a hospital bed.  The downside was there was no intercom on the door.  Jean-Luc grinned when he saw his friend Jack Crusher stick his head around the corner.

“Jack!” 

“Hey, Johnny!  I’m not here long, but we’re picking up some new crew and I asked if I could stop by and visit...where’s Bev?”

“Doing her internship, but we might be able to steal her away...” Jean-Luc stood up and Jack got a good look at him. “You look skinnier.  Have you lost weight?”

“A little.  Do I look...bad?”  Jack scrutinized him. “Nah, but I don’t think you’ll be winning any wrestling matches any time soon.” 

“Thanks for that.”

“So...are you allowed to leave this place?”

“Yeah.  I have to sign out and let them know where I’m going, but I can leave for a few hours every day. “  Jack grinned.

“Great! Want to go get a drink?” 

“Ah, I’m not allowed any alcohol yet, but I can go with you and have something synthetic.”  Jack frowned. “Well, that’s no fun. But hey, we can still go grab Lunch.”  Jean-Luc smiled and pressed a button on his console. “Picard to Picard.”

_“Picard here.”_

“You’ll never guess who just dropped by for a visit.”

_“Who?”_

“Jack!”

_“Jack! How is he?”_

“Uh, I’m right here, Bev.” 

_“Hey Jack, we’ve missed you.  How long are you here for?”_

“Just a few hours, I’m afraid.  We’re picking up some crew and I asked if I could come to see how Jean-Luc was doing. I thought I might take you guys to Lunch?”

_“I’d love to Jack, but I’m right in the middle of an experiment. Why don’t you and Jean-Luc go have some guy time and I’ll meet you there?”_

“Oooh, and outing without the Missus? Can we be trusted?”  Jean-Luc was sure Beverly was rolling her eyes at Jack.  _“Very funny, Jack.  Anyway if you’re going to the lounge, I’ll meet you there in a bit?”_

“Sounds great Bev, we’ll see you later.”

 _“Have fun guys. Jean-Luc, I love you. Picard out.”_   Jack grinned at Jean-Luc. “When the cat’s away...shall we go play?”  Jean-Luc grinned back. “I suppose you can’t play _too_ much. What time are you due back on your ship?”

“1600, so just over four hours from now.”

“Well, a lot can happen in four hours.”  The two former roommates grinned at each other and headed for the lounge bar. 

Jean-Luc waved to Bryce as he and Jack took a seat and Bryce came over to take their order “Hiya Jean-Luc, where’s Beverly?” 

“Still working.  Bryce, this is one of my  best friends, Jack Crusher.  Jack, this is Bryce.  He’s married to my Physical Therapist, and he makes some amazing mixed drinks.”  Jack raised his eyebrows at his friend. “I thought you can’t drink right now?”

“I can’t, but Bryce manages to make me synthetic drinks that don’t taste like soap.”  Bryce beamed. “The usual, Jean-Luc?”  Jean-Luc nodded.  “For you, Jack?”

“Uh...whatever Johnny’s having if it’s that good!”  Jean-Luc chuckled. “You’ll like it, I promise.  Bryce, what’s the day’s special?”  Bryce struggled to pronounce the dish, something from Vulcan.  “Hmm, I think I’ll pass.  Beverly might be game for it when she arrives.” Jean-Luc looked over at his friend and made a decision. “Actually, Bryce, could you bring us a large Vulcan pizza with all the trimmings?”  Jack grinned.  “Man after my own heart.”

“Absolutely, Jean-Luc.  I’ll be back with it and your drinks.”

Jean-Luc hung on every word out of Jack’s mouth. Jack had the same position Jean-Luc should have had – junior relief flight controller – and Jean-Luc asked him all about his job and where he had been.  “You know, Johnny...I hate that this has happened to you.  I keep wishing it had been me.  It _should_ have been me.”

“What makes you say that, Jack?”

“You had Beverly...you guys had your whole future ahead of you and planned out and me? I was just going with the flow.  If I had been stabbed, it wouldn’t have affected someone else the same way you being stabbed affected Beverly...and Johnny, she really was a mess.”

“I know, Walker told me.”  Jack shook his head. “Did he tell you _everything_?” 

“I think so. Why?”

“Beverly didn’t speak for the first few hours we were all at the hospital with you.  When Walker left to call your parents – Beverly had been clinging onto him before – she clung to me instead and Johnny?  Her eyes were dead.  It was as if that spark that makes Bev...Bev... had left her eyes.  I didn’t see her eyes brighten until the doctor told her you would be alright.  If I could have traded places with you right then and had been the one in the stasis tube....I would have.  Oh God, Johnny, I wanted to spare Beverly all the pain she was going through.”  Jean-Luc reached across the table and patted Jack’s arm. “Thank you for helping to look after Beverly.  It means a lot to me that she had all of you.”

“Anything for you guys, Johnny. You know that.  And Beverly is ok now?”  Jean-Luc grinned. “Yeah. We’ve done a lot of talking about my accident and how it made her feel.  I don’t know what will happen when I do get cleared for full duty and I have to leave her on Earth.  Walker said he’d try to get us on the same ship, which would probably relieve Beverly.”

“Hey, why don’t I try to transfer too?”  Jean-Luc grinned. “That would be fun. The three of us together.  But I don’t know when I’ll be released back to full duty.  The earliest will be April...”

“Wow, so long?” 

“I _did_ have my heart replaced, you know...”  Jean-Luc grinned at his friend. 

They continued to talk as they ate their pizza and Jean-Luc set a few slices to one side for Beverly.  Jack looked up and saw the dom-jot table was empty. “Wanna play for old time’s sake?” 

“Uhh....sure. I haven’t played since...”

“Yeah, me neither.” Jean-Luc signalled Bryce for refills and the two men grabbed dom-jot cues and racked up the balls.  They had played a few rounds when a voice sent shivers down Jean-Luc’s spine. “Humans want tournament?” 

Jean-Luc froze.  Sweat broke out on his upper lip and he started breathing heavily.  Jack looked over at his friend. “Jean-Luc, are you okay?” 

“Yeah, I’ll be...fine.  Just...give me a minute.”  Jean-Luc closed his eyes and recalled the exercise Beverly had found for him.  He opened his eyes. _Five things I can see...Jack, the red ball, a glass of beer, blue carpet, and....a chair. I see a chair.  Four things I can touch...my shirt, the cue stick, the table, and my trousers.  Ok.  You can do this. Three things you can hear._ Jean-Luc closed his eyes again. _I hear Bryce talking to a customer,  I hear two women laughing, and I hear the ding of the slot machines in the corner._ Jean-Luc took a deep breath.  _Two things I can smell....I smell pizza and....I smell Beverly’s hair?_ Jean-Luc opened his eyes and saw Beverly gently reach out for his shoulder.  _One thing about today – I am alive._

Beverly leaned close to his ear. “You alright?”  He nodded.  “I used that technique we found.”  Beverly squeezed his shoulder and Jack looked over at the two of them. “Is everything alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine, Jack. Sorry.” 

“Jack!  So good to see you!” Beverly embraced her friend and gave him a friendly peck on the lips. “Mm, Bev, not in front of Jean-Luc!”  Beverly laughed and smacked Jack.   “So, who’s winning?”

“Oh, you know, I don’t actually know.   We were just taking turns hitting the ball. Want a go?” 

“Nah.  Did you eat?”  Jean-Luc pointed over to their table. “I ordered pizza. Saved you a few slices.”  Beverly leaned up and kissed him.  “Thanks.  Why don’t you guys finish your game and I’ll eat.”  Jack watched Beverly walk away. “Damn, Jean-Luc, you really are a lucky man.  I swear, your wife gets more gorgeous every day.”  Jean-Luc grinned. “She sure does, Jackie.”

###

“Well, that was a really nice surprise, wasn’t it?”

“Hmm?” Jean-Luc was reading a long article about astrophysics, trying to stay on top of his career and hadn’t been paying attention to Beverly.  “Seeing Jack.  It was a nice surprise.”

“Oh, yeah.  I guess the base here is a good place for ships to pick up new crewmen.  I’m surprised we haven’t seen the others yet.”

“Well, we talk to Wally almost every day. I haven’t heard from Corey in weeks and Marta never replied to my message when I told her you were finally awake.” Beverly frowned. “I hope Marta isn’t still blaming herself. None of this was her fault.”  Jean-Luc shrugged. “I’ll send her a message. Maybe she’ll talk directly to me.” 

“Mm, good idea.  She might appreciate getting a message from you. But don’t mention that you know she feels guilty...Wally probably wasn’t supposed to tell us that.”

“Probably not. Computer: Time?”

“The time is 1645.” 

“I have a PT appointment in fifteen minutes.” Beverly swallowed her last swig of tea. “I’ll walk you there.  By the way, I heard from Professor Runcorn.   He said he wouldn’t mind giving you the psych evaluation when we get back to Earth.  He had...nothing nice to say about Doctor Ffest. I’ll show you his letter later.  But Professor Runcorn said not to worry about anything Ffest might put in your medical report. He’ll handle it.” Jean-Luc kissed Beverly. “Thanks, Love.” 


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back on Earth. How far should I take this story? You guys tell me!

Beverly hated packing.  She was packing up their little life on Earhart Airbase for their return to Earth.  They would be leaving in a few days, and Beverly would have to have a meeting with her advisors at Starfleet Medical Academy, plus take an exam in order to gain credit for the past semester she did via correspondence.  She was confident everything would go fine.  While she was having her exams, Jean-Luc would be seeing her old Psychology professor, Doctor Runcorn, for his psych evaluation.  Jean-Luc wasn’t ready to be released to full duty because he still had a lot of recovery ahead of him, but Runcorn wanted to see him right away. 

Jean-Luc picked up the wedding photo he had lovingly packed into his bag all those months ago and ran his finger over it before bringing it into the bedroom where Beverly had a trunk open at the foot of the bed for all of the items they had accumulated over the past four months, plus all her medical texts she had Marcal ship to her.  He handed her their wedding photo with a grin. “You know, I packed this photo so that I would be able to look at you every day, but then I got to see you in person daily.” 

“Are you complaining?”  Jean-Luc drew his arms around his wife. “Hmm...yes and no.  I mean, I still don’t like that I had the accident and am still recovering, but the extra time with you has made it all the better.”  He kissed her neck and she shivered and turned in his arms to kiss him on the lips. 

“I know. I keep thinking it’s wrong of me to be happy that we’ve been together and that I’ve managed to pull off an early internship when it’s happened as the result of.....”

“A tragedy?”

“I’m not sure I would call it a tragedy.  You survived.  Although, I suppose it’s still pretty tragic. Now, have you spoken with Professor Runcorn?”

“I have an appointment with him the day after we return.  I’ll probably have more than one as this first one is mostly to discuss Ffest’s treatment of me.”  Beverly nodded. “I have my meeting with my advisor the same day, and then I’m afraid I’ll be quite busy that first week taking exams and being evaluated.”  She frowned. “Never mind that, my love.  We’ll be staying together and two weeks after we return, we’ll be in La Barre for Robert and Marie’s wedding and Christmas....and Claude wrote to tell me Maman is going all out this year.”  He rolled his eyes and Beverly laughed. “Is there really any year when your mother _doesn’t_ go all out for Christmas?”

“Nah. She loves the holiday.  We’re not religious, but we celebrate it secularly.  Oh, and Claude asked if we’d like to go to a Christmas Market in Cologne with him and Missy.”

“That would be nice.  I suspect Wally would appreciate us around to keep an eye on his sister and your brother.”

“Indeed.  Walker will be in La Barre for Christmas, too.  Your mother apparently invited Marcal and him to stay after the wedding.  So they might go along with us, too.”  Beverly grinned.  “Just need Corey, Jack, and Marta and it would be like old times.”  A dark shadow crossed Jean-Luc’s eyes.  “Marta still hasn’t replied to you?”  Jean-Luc shook his head. 

“I don’t understand it, Beverly.  Marta is one of our best friends...she was your roommate for three years...and she hasn’t replied to any of our messages?  Jack and Wally have both heard from her....” He sighed. “I wish I could tell her I don’t hold her responsible, but then that would make her upset with Walker and Jack for telling me.”

“I’ve had one short note from Corey.  He went into deep space though, so we can’t be upset with him for not contacting us.  I’ve left him several updates though to keep him up to date when he eventually gets to pick up messages.  But perhaps we’ll see them when Marc and Wally get married....”

“Walker and Marcal are getting married?  When did this happen?”  Beverly grinned. “Oh, it hasn’t happened yet. Marc told me he was thinking about asking Wally if he wanted to get married...he was going to ask him over Christmas...forget I told you!”  Jean-Luc grinned back at his wife.  “I promise not to tell Walker.” 

“Good.”  Beverly wrapped their wedding photo in a scarf to protect the frame. She knew Jean-Luc would eventually take it with him when he left her again, but for now, it would return to their flat. 

###

Jean-Luc walked into his last PT session and was once again shocked  by the room. The room had been emptied of everything, the only thing remaining was the wall of mirrors.  He looked around and couldn’t find Rolt, but the lights dimmed and Beverly appeared in the doorway to the locker room, clad in a ballgown.  She still always took his breath away and he walked over to her. “Uhm....Hi?”

“Hi there.  Today is your last PT session, and Rolt and I decided we would do some dancing.”

“Dancing?”

“You realise you’ll be expected to dance at Robert and Marie’s wedding?  And, well... _we_ haven’t danced together in quite a while.  I thought you might want to practice....” she trailed off.  “I’m sorry. I know dancing isn’t your favourite thing to do, but think about the coordination practice.”

Jean-Luc sighed, but smiled at his wife. “You’re right.  I _do_ need to practice.  I wouldn’t want to step on your feet...or Marie’s...or Maman’s...” he shuddered at the thought of his mother scolding him for stepping on her feet.  Beverly laughed. “Good to know you fear Maman more than me.” 

Beverly inclined her head towards a bench along the wall.  “Dancing shoes for you.  Might as well practice in your dress shoes.”  Jean-Luc gestured towards his outfit – he was dressed for a work out, not dancing.  “Should I change?”

“If you’d like.”  Jean-Luc leaned over and kissed her. “Be right back.”

Jean-Luc emerged dressed in a pair of plan black trousers and a white shirt, the only suitable clothing he could find on the replicator menu.  He swept Beverly into his arms and they started to waltz.  “Hmm. Are you sure this is part of my therapy or did you just want an excuse to dance?”

“Ah, you caught me.  I wanted to dance.  But -  I talked with Rolt, and he agreed that this would be good for you so you might not be nervous at the wedding. “ 

“I have to agree. I had completely forgotten about the dancing aspect of a wedding.”

“You forgot our dance?”

“No, never.  But I forgot that as a guest...as the best man...I would be expected to dance with more than just my wife.”  Beverly laughed. “You’ll have to dance first with Marie’s Maid of Honour.”

“It’s not you?” Beverly shook her head. “No, I’m one of the bridesmaids, but a childhood friend of Marie’s is her Maid of Honour.  She thought you might remember her from school?  Colette something?”  Jean-Luc paled.

“Colette Fabron?”

“Yes, that’s her name. Do you know her?”  Jean-Luc bit his lip. “I might be....familiar with Colette.....”

“Spit it out Jean-Luc.”

“Alright.  Colette is the girl I....lost my virginity to.”  Beverly’s eyes gleaned with mirth. “I see. Do Marie and Robert know?”

“Robert probably does.  Ah, it would be just like him to encourage Marie to ask Colette.” 

“You slept with your brother’s girlfriend’s best friend?”

“Er....Yes?”  Beverly laughed.  “How did _that_ happen?”

“Oh, Beverly. You don’t want to know the details. I told you, I was sixteen.”  Beverly let Jean-Luc sway her for a minute. “Will it be awkward?”

“Will what be?”

“Seeing Colette again? Having to dance with her?” Jean-Luc blushed. “Maybe? But she knows I’m married now....I hope.”  Beverly narrowed her eyes at Jean-Luc.  “So, Colette was your girlfriend?”

“Not really.  We went out a few times with Marie and Robert.  I think Robert was a bit worried about the age difference between him and Marie at the time.  And then we just...decided to sleep together.”  He grinned. “I think she slept with Louis, too.” 

“I see.”  Jean-Luc dropped a kiss on Beverly’s head. “It was a small village.  But I think it will be fine seeing Colette.  If not, well...I know where to find you, don’t I?”  He dipped her and Beverly kissed him passionately.  “I know I shouldn’t worry.  But I know we’ll likely never run into the boy I slept with...unless we go to Caldos to visit Nana, and that’s really not something I’m interested in doing. Don’t get me wrong, I love Nana, but....It’s Caldos.” 

“I understand, my love.”   The music changed and Jean-Luc raised his eyebrows. “A cha-cha? I don’t think we will be dancing the cha-cha at my brother’s wedding.”  Beverly smirked. “Maybe not, but I think it’s fun.”

“You would.  My little dancer.”  Beverly sighed. “I hope the dance troupe lets me back in next semester.”

“Why wouldn’t they?  You’re still a good dancer, that won’t have changed.”

“Maybe.  They know my reasons for not being here this past semester.”  Jean-Luc stumbled a bit and laughed. “Been a while, my love. Can we slow down a bit?”  Beverly nodded and pulled a remote out of her dress.  She pressed a few buttons and the music’s tempo slowed. “Better?” 

“Much, thanks.”

###

Jean-Luc and Beverly entered their apartment near the Academy and looked around. “Looks the same way as when we left.”   Beverly glanced around and spotted her trunk in a corner. “Oh good, they beamed my trunk over right away.  I have so much studying to do before my evaluation and exams and I-“  Jean-Lu cut her off with a kiss.

“Mm, what was that for?”

“My love, we are in our apartment.  Alone. Can’t you think of something better to do than study?” 

“Well, yes, but...I really have some work to sort through.”  Jean-Luc pouted. “Oh, I can’t say no to that face.”  Beverly led Jean-Luc into their bedroom and they removed their clothes. They fell back onto the bed with a sigh. “Ah, I forgot how comfortable our bed was.”  Jean-Luc crawled on top of Beverly. “I hope that’s the only thing you forgot...” 

Jean-Luc made love to his wife slowly and tenderly.  They had been sleeping together regularly since their move into the apartment, but Jean-Luc always felt a little weird having sex in the hospital, even if it was in an apartment attached to it.  Beverly was enjoying the slower pace their lovemaking had become since Jean-Luc’s accident.  She briefly wondered if their days of fast and hard were over, but brushed it aside.  Nothing mattered other than Jean-Luc being in her arms and inside her right now. The build up was slow, but the payoff was worth it and Beverly came crashing down just as Jean-Luc was reaching his peak.  She kissed him when he rolled off of her and they got under the covers to spoon.  Studying and unpacking could wait.

Beverly woke up to the sound of her flatmate. “Bev? Jean-Luc? Are you guys home?” 

“In the bedroom, Marc!”  Marcal stuck his head in the bedroom door and then closed his eyes. “Beverly! Warn a guy!”  Beverly laughed and Jean-Luc opened his eyes.  “Hmm?”  Beverly rolled to face him and kissed him. “Marc’s home.”

“Ah. Hullo, Marc.”

“Hey, Johnny. Feeling better?” 

“You could say that....would you excuse us? I think we probably should put some clothes on...” Marc laughed.  “Sure thing.  You guys want to join me for dinner?” 

“It’s dinner time?  We slept later than I thought...”  Marc wiggled his eyebrows at his friends.  “What time did you get home?”

“Uhh....noon?”  Marc laughed again and shook his head. “Walker wasn’t kidding about your two...”

“Do I want to know?”

“Probably not.”

Beverly opened a dresser drawer and softly cursed. “What’s wrong, love?”

“Uh...all our clean clothes are kinda in the trunk in the living room and I didn’t get my reclimator installed before we went on our honeymoon.”

“ _Merde_.”

“Yep.”  Beverly eyed their crumpled clothing on the floor.  “Well, I guess we can put these on and retrieve the trunk.  At least we found out before we got in the shower?” 

“I’ll get the trunk.  You get in the shower.”  Beverly nodded. “Replicate some towels and my shampoo before you come in?” 

Beverly was enjoying the hot spray of the shower when Jean-Luc entered and started washing her hair for her.  “Mm, I do like it when you wash my hair.”

“I know.  Shame it’s not worth you returning the favour.”

“You still have _some_ hair.  Here, let me give you a scalp massage.”  Beverly rinsed off the shampoo from her hair and pushed Jean-Luc under the water.  She used a tiny amount of her shampoo on Jean-Luc’s thinning hair and gently massaged his head.  “Mmm, feels nice.” 

“It’s starting to grow a bit.”

“Don’t lie to me, love. It’s thinning. I’m going bald. Have you seen Papa?  Or Robert?  You’re destined to look at a cue ball head for the rest of your life.” Beverly placed a kiss on top of his head. “Wouldn’t have you any other way.”

###

Jean-Luc stood nervously outside the professor’s office and rang the door chime.  The door slid open to reveal a room done in dark wood panelling with an old fashioned large oak desk in one corner and a holographic fireplace with a sofa and chairs facing it against the wall.  “Ah, Ensign Picard?  I’m Doctor Runcorn. Do come in and have a seat.”  Jean-Luc crossed to one of the wingbacked chairs near the fireplace and sat.

“Thank you for agreeing to see me, Doctor Runcorn.”

“Of course, Ensign, of course. You know, your wife was my top student.” Jean-Luc stared slack-jawed. “No, I didn’t.”

“I know how your wife feels about psychology, but she actually was a very good student and when she told me about Arnold Ffest, I had to help.”

“Arnold?”

“Yep. Arnie Fez.  He was a student of mine....oh, about twenty years ago.  But he washed out of the academy and returned to Betazed, where he managed to obtain a degree of some description.   But he shouldn’t be licensed by Starfleet to be making evaluations of our officers.  I will be raising this issue with the admiralty.”

“Thank you, Sir.  I know you’re a busy professor, so if you could recommend someone to go see, I would be happy to go see them.”

“Ah, nonsense, Ensign.  You’re here now.  I might as well talk to you.”  Jean-Luc looked around nervously. “Can I get you something to drink? Tea or Coffee?”

“Oh, yes please.  Earl Grey if you have it.”  Runcorn nodded and pressed a button to call his assistant. “A coffee for me please, and Earl Grey tea for the Ensign.”

 _“Right away, Sir.”_ Runcorn waited until they had their drinks in their hands before continuing.  “Now then, Ensign Picard.  May I call you Jean-Luc?” Jean-Luc nodded.  “Jean-Luc,  what can you tell me about your accident?” 

“My friends and I were playing dom-jot and some Nausicaans challenged us.  The first night they seemed to be cheating and they won, and my friend Corey asked for a rematch.  We figured out a way to disable the device they were using to cheat with, so when Corey won the following day, he was accused of cheating.  He said something I didn’t hear, and the Nausicaan punched him.  Jack and I jumped in to defend Corey.  We...probably shouldn’t have.  We seemed to be winning when I felt a sharp pain and a gurgle of warmth....I looked down and I had a knife in my chest.” 

“And where was your wife?”

“Watching with our other friend, Walker, his boyfriend, and Marta.  I remember trying to tell her I loved her before I blacked out....and I woke up seven weeks later with this,” he thumped his chest for emphasis.

“How does it feel having a mechanical heart?”

“Well, I thought it would be different, and I was worried I wouldn’t be able to love Beverly anymore without my real heart, but Beverly convinced me it wasn’t the organ that controlled those feelings and I guess now it’s just there. I’m still getting used to it.  It’s kinda weird. I have all this stamina now that I didn’t have before.  I can’t wait to go running again.”

“Ah, yes, I seem to recall something about a Cadet Picard winning the Academy marathon as a first year. You, I presume?”

“Yeah.  I did running and wrestling.  Running’s been a hobby of mine since I was young and needed to think and there was nothing around me but fields.” 

“Where did you grow up?”

“A small French village called La Barre.”  Runcorn raised his eyebrows. “You’re not from the Picards who produce Château Picard wine, are you?” 

“That’s my father and brother.” 

“Your family makes a very good red wine.”  Jean-Luc beamed. “Thank you, Sir.” 

“So tell me about your family.  Your father and brother are vintners?  Any other family?”

“Maman and my little brother, Claude.  Well, he’s almost eighteen now.  Still doesn’t know what he’s going to do with his life.  He was all ready to follow me into Starfleet until I pointed out he’d be trading following Father’s rules for following his CO.”  Jean-Luc  laughed. “Claude isn’t one for following rules. Maman spoiled him a bit after he fell in the well when he was six.” 

“Your brother fell in a well?” Jean-Luc rubbed the back of his head. “Yeah.  Maman was out and Papa put Robert, my older brother, in charge of us.  Robert was in his room with the door shut, I was building a model spaceship, and Claude decided to play outside.  He broke both his arms and a leg...or both his legs and an arm, I can’t remember.  Papa punished Robert and I, naturally.” 

“I see. So are you close with your brothers?”  Jean-Luc took another sip of his tea. “Hmm. I guess. Robert and I didn’t get along for much of our childhood, but we’ve become closer since I left home. Especially now with Beverly and Marie being so close.”

“Marie?”

“Robert’s fiancée.  Their wedding is in two weeks.  It’s why I was anxious to get away from Earhart. Robert didn’t want to have to ask Claude to be his best man.” Runcorn grinned. “Sounds like your younger brother is a handful.”

“Only slightly.  But he’s starting to settle down, I think.  He met Walker’s sister and seems to be pretty keen on her.”

“Walker, your best friend?”

“Yeah”

“Tell me about Walker.  I understand he stayed with your wife while you were unconscious?”

“Yeah.  Beverly...she...shut down from what Walker and Jack told me.  Walker helped her and kept her from falling off the deep end, I think.  I don’t really know, since I was unconscious, but from what  I’ve been told...until I had my surgery, Beverly was a bit of a mess and Walker helped her.  He even helped her clean up after my accident to wash all the blood off her.” 

“And this didn’t make you upset?”

“Nah.  Walker’s my best friend. And he’s gay.  Beverly was supposed to share an apartment with his boyfriend at med school. Well,  I mean, now _we_ share an apartment with him, I guess.”

“How do you feel about this?”  Jean-Luc thought for a minute before answering.  “Well...I’d rather be on my assignment, but on the other hand, I’ve had more time with Beverly.” 

“You love your wife very much, don’t you?”  Jean-Luc grinned. “I really do.  She’s been the best thing to happen to me.”  Runcorn scribbled for a few minutes on his PADD.  “Right, Jean-Luc.  I think we’re done.”

“That’s it?”

“Yep.”

“But we were just chatting about normal things....you didn’t ask me anything weird like Fez did.”  Runcorn shook his head. “I’m still terribly sorry you had to deal with him.  I think we should meet a few more times to just chat like this, but I can’t see any reason why you wouldn’t be able to return to full duty as soon as Medical releases you.”  Jean-Luc grinned. “Wow. Thank you Doctor Runcorn,”  Jean-Luc stood and made his way to the door.  “When do you want to see me again?”

“Why don’t we wait until after the new semester starts?  You and your wife enjoy her break.”

“Thank you, Sir.”  Jean-Luc left the office with a spring in his step. Maybe psychologists weren’t all bad, after all.

###

Jean-Luc and Beverly were packing again, but this time it was for a visit to La Barre and Robert and Marie’s wedding.  They were getting married a week before Christmas, and then Jean-Luc, Beverly, Walker, Marcal, Claude, and Missy would visit the Christmas markets in Cologne before returning to spend Christmas and New Year’s with Jean-Luc’s parents.  It would be a packed trip, but Jean-Luc was looking forward to it.  He packed his medication into his bag and sighed. “Bev, did I pack enough medicine?”  Beverly glanced over.  “Twelve days times four times per day?  Plus maybe an extra day or two?” 

“I packed sixty doses.” 

“Yeah, I’d say you’ll be fine.”  Jean-Luc smiled at his wife. “Thanks.”

“If we need more, I guess we could always go to Starfleet Medical in Paris to get more.” 

“Well, I think I’m packed.  Robert told me to wear my dress uniform for the wedding. I assume Marie has a dress for you?” Beverly nodded.  “Maman used the measurements from my wedding dress for it. Right then.” Beverly handed Jean-Luc her bag and he slung it over his shoulder with his.  “Shall we?”


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not a doctor.

Claude was being a brat.  Jean-Luc was sitting in their father’s study trying to write his best man’s speech and Claude kept interrupting him every few minutes.  First, it was to ask him about his accident, even though Claude had spoken with both him and Beverly via subspace multiple times AND he had read the news report.  

Jean-Luc was actually a little embarrassed about the news report, but fortunately, the article only laid the blame on the Nausicaans and appeared to be more of a piece about how the Nausicaans should be banned from all Federation starbases, and less about his accident.  The artile also managed to get his name wrong and he was called ‘John Luke Pickard’.  Naturally, his friends and family knew it had been him, but he was spared any further scrutiny. 

The second time Claude came in, it was to ask him if he should propose to Missy.  Jean-Luc was flabbergasted and didn’t know what to say.  He had known he wanted to marry Beverly from the minute he met and fell in love with her, but their older brother had taken his time and had courted Marie for almost six years before proposing.  Jean-Luc finally told him to follow his heart, but make sure he talked to Missy first.  If Missy didn’t feel ready for marriage, Claude should wait on proposing. 

The fifth time the door opened, Jean-Luc was fed up. “Leave me alone for just a half hour! Please!” 

“Hmm. Fine thing to say to your wife.”  Jean-Luc looked up and smiled. “Sorry, love. Claude has been bothering me.  I’m trying to write my speech.” 

“I see.  Why don’t you play it by ear?  Walker and Marc just arrived.”

“Ah, I take it Missy has as well?”  Beverly nodded. “Explains why Claude hasn’t been in to bother me in ten minutes. You know he asked me about proposing....”

“Really? What did you say?”

“I told him to follow his heart, but to talk to Missy first.”

“Funny, I don’t remember you asking _me_ before you proposed.”  Jean-Luc stood up and drew Beverly into his arms and kissed her tenderly. “My dear, it’s because I didn’t have to. I already knew.”  Beverly grinned against his lips. “I love you.”

“I love you, too. Now, should we go see what our friends are up to? I have a feeling Marc will want to go riding....”  he trailed off hopefully.

“No.”

“But....the doctor said I could...”  Beverly rolled her eyes. “I know you.  You, Marc, Claude, and Robert will take the horses out and someone will suggest a race and you’ll entirely forget that you’re supposed to be _taking it easy_.” 

“I won’t!”  Beverly put her hands on her hips. “You would.” 

“Alright, fine. I probably would.  But I’m going riding while we’re home. Please?”  Beverly’s eyes softened. “We can go riding together, alright?  Just the two of us.”  Jean-Luc grinned.  “Will you ride with me or on your own horse?” 

“Hmm. With you, I think.  Warmer.” Jean-Luc’s eyes glazed over as he thought about having his wife pressed against him for a long ride and he briefly wondered if that old cabin was still standing in the woods and vowed to ask Robert if he knew.  If it was still there, Jean-Luc would pack a few provisions and they could perhaps have a little getaway for an overnight.  Beverly was talking, and Jean-Luc was brought out of his daydream. “Sorry, love. What were you saying?”

“I was asking you if you had your medicine with you?” Jean-Luc patted his pocket. “Three doses.  I figure I wouldn’t be away from the house for longer than twelve hours.”  Beverly nodded.  “Might as well take your dose now, while we’re alone.”  Beverly reached for his belt and started undoing it.  “Beverly, I don’t get my dose in my bum.”

“I know.”  Beverly went over to the door, closed, and locked it. “But we’re alone...and that rug sure does look inviting....”

 _“Beverly!_ Not in Papa’s study!”  Beverly trailed her hand down his chest.  “I can keep a secret if you can...”

Jean-Luc chuckled. They were both naked and Beverly was nestled in his arms on the soft rug in front of the fire, with the blanket from the couch pulled over on top of them.  Beverly’s hair was mussed and her lips were swollen and Jean-Luc was sure his own lips looked the same.  Beverly gently traced circles on his chest and he shivered.

“Hey, that tickled.”

“Really?”  Beverly ran her hand over his chest again, this time gently tracing where his incisions had been.  “Really.  Beverly....the numbness has gone!” Beverly propped herself up on her elbow and kissed him passionately and he grinned against her lips. “I think this is cause for celebration, don’t you?”  Beverly nodded.  “You know, this is a good workout for your heart....”

“Sure, that’s why we’re making love in my parent’s study.”  She snorted. “Well, one of the reasons.”  Beverly let Jean-Luc roll them over so he was on top and he gently lowered himself onto her. 

They emerged several hours later. 

“Thought you two were going to miss Tea,” Yvette teased her son and daughter-in-law.  “Sorry Maman...”  Yvette held up her hand. “No need to apologize.  I, ah, know it must have been hard for you...” Beverly blushed while Yvette fussed over Jean-Luc.  “It’s just so good to see you...awake...and well..” 

“ _Maman_ , I’m fine.” 

“ _Je connais. Laisse ta mère t'inquiéter._ ”  Beverly grinned and added, “ _et votre femme!_ ”  Jean-Luc chuckled.  “Should I tell Maman the good news?”

“What good news?”  Yvette’s eyes roamed over towards Beverly’s stomach. “ _Maman! Non!_ Uhm..not yet, alright?  I can feel my chest again. The numbness has worn off!” 

“Oh, that’s wonderful Jean-Luc!”  Yvette beamed. “It really is, we weren’t expecting the numbness to wear off for a few more weeks!  Just have to hope there’s no pain...but so far, so good.” 

“Pain?”

“That’s what the doctor said.  He said he wasn’t sure, but some people experience chest pain when the feeling comes back.”

“Well, good thing your wife is training to be a doctor. How did your exams go, dear?”  Beverly beamed at her mother-in-law. “Passed them all with flying colours and received internship credit.” Beverly leaned over and kissed Jean-Luc. “You should get injured more often.” 

“Pass.”  Beverly laughed.   “Maman, where are Robert and Marie?  Sneaking off like we did before our wedding?”  Yvette laughed. “Marie is at home with her parents – they’re really quite lovely people.  Robert is still working with Maurice.  He won’t take time off until the day of the wedding.”  Jean-Luc frowned. “Guess a stag night is out.”  Beverly glared. “You’re still not allowed to drink!” 

“I know, but I _did_ want to take Robert out.” Jean-Luc frowned. “Maybe I can convince him to take tomorrow off and we can go out tonight.  Are they in the barn?”  Yvette nodded.  Jean-Luc kissed Beverly as he pulled on one of the big, worn coats kept by the front door. “Be back soon.”

“Medicine!” Beverly called after his retreating back.  Jean-Luc jogged back and held out the hypospray to Beverly.  “Got it with me, love!”  Beverly shook her head at his retreating back.  “I love your son, Maman, but sometimes he has a one track mind!”

“They all do, dear.  I’m surprised you weren’t in the study longer.”  Beverly blushed. “How did you?”

“I just know things, dear.”  Yvette patted Beverly’s arm affectionately. “I can’t decide if I should decorate for Christmas now or after the wedding, what do you think?”  Beverly’s eyes shined. “Oh, now, please?  Nana and I didn’t celebrate much...the first year Jean-Luc brought me here was my first real Christmas.”

“Well, we’ll just have to decorate then. I think Claude took Missy, Walker, and Marcal riding, but when they get back we’ll have them help us get the decorations down.  No doubt at least Claude will be going out with Jean-Luc and Robert.”  Beverly frowned. “Would it be really awful if I asked Walker to go to keep an eye on Jean-Luc?”

“Not at all, dear. From what I understand, there was a lot of drinking at Jean-Luc’s party.” 

“There was, but that was mostly Jack’s fault. “ 

“Ah.  Yes, Robert said he wasn’t too fond of Jack.”  Beverly grinned. “Honestly, not many are.  He’s a bit....well, he’s a lot to get used to.  But we do love him. Maybe one day he’ll settle down....” 

“I see.”

“When we all first lived together, Jack was Jean-Luc’s roommate.  Jean-Luc spent a lot of nights sleeping on the sofa because Jack had brought a girl home.”

“Not in your room, dear?”  Beverly blushed. “Not right away.  A few times if Marta was sleeping in Corey’s room he would use her bed, and we shared my bed once or twice before we started dating...but that was awkward.” 

“Oh?” Yvette raised her eyebrows.  “I feel weird telling this to my mother-in-law.”

“My dear Beverly, I am mother to three boys, in case you haven’t noticed.”

“Jean-Luc and I weren’t dating at the time and he....uhmm...”  Beverly blushed again.

“Ah,” Yvette smiled, “Yes, I think I know exactly what you are referring to.  Many mornings I would go to wake up one of my boys and...well, I don’t need to tell _you_.”  Beverly laughed.  “Yeah.  So after that, Jean-Luc wouldn’t share a bed with me anymore.”  Yvette joined her daughter-in-law in laughter and the two were still laughing when Claude came into the kitchen with the others trailing behind.  “Maman, what’s so funny?”

“Nothing, my sweet boy. But now that you’re here, I need you to do something for me.”  Claude rolled his eyes. “What, Maman?”

“I just need you to get the Christmas decorations down for us.  Then you can go with Jean-Luc and Robert. Jean-Luc said something about taking Robert to the pub for a bit of a stag night.”

“All right!”  Claude looked over at Missy and paused. “Uh....if that’s alright with you, Missy?”  Missy giggled and nodded. “I need to catch up with Bev anyway.” 

“Uh...right.” Claude headed up the steps. “Marc, can you  help? Maman has way too many decorations!” 

“I’ll come too,” offered Walker.  Beverly caught Walker’s hand. “Before you go up...can you do _me_ a favour?”

“Well, when you look at me like that....always.  What do you need Bev?”

“Uhm.  Will you go to the pub with Jean-Luc and just...keep an eye on him for me?”  Walker raised his eyebrows at his friend. “You don’t trust him?”

“Oh, I think he’ll avoid real alcohol, but I think he’ll forget to take his meds or he’ll push himself too far.  He’s only been out once and that was with Jack for about an hour before I arrived and he had a panic attack when a Nausicaan walked in.”

“Uh, Bev? You realise we’re in the middle of nowhere France?  I don’t think there will be any Nausicaans at the village pub.”

“Well...no....but...please?”  Beverly stood on her toes and kissed Walker’s cheek.  Walker rolled his eyes. “I hate when you do that.  Yes, of course.  I’ll  go. Let me go tell Marc.”

“I know it’s your time with Marc too and I don’t want to take you away from him...”

“Nah.  He loves Christmas, so I bet he wants to stay and help you decorate.”

###

Jean-Luc was careful to make sure he was drinking synthehol. It was helpful that the barkeep was a friend of his father’s so he knew about Jean-Luc’s accident and he made sure all his servers knew not to bring him real alcohol and to always double check that the drinks handed to Jean-Luc came out of the replicator.

Jean-Luc had quickly called some of Robert and his old friends from school and a handful had been able to show up. Claude had called his friends too, but most of his friends didn’t know Robert well and only showed up to gawk at Jean-Luc and to pester him with questions.  Walker finally had to start acting as a gatekeeper for anyone who wanted to come over to talk to the men.  Robert laughed. “My party, and you’re more popular than me, little brother.”

“Ugh, don’t rub it in.  I would love nothing more than to be a no one against the wall and you know it.”  Robert reached out and patted Jean-Luc’s arm. “I know.  But maybe we should have gone a few towns over instead of here.”  Jean-Luc nodded.  “You’re probably right. But on the other hand, Mister Granger is doing a good job of keeping most of the villagers away from us.” Jean-Luc raised his glass towards the barkeep and Granger smiled. It was good to see the three Picard boys all together and getting along.  He could remember breaking up fist fights between the two elder boys when they were younger.  Of course, he never told Maurice about his boy’s fighting.  He wasn’t an idiot. 

Robert was nursing an ale.  Granger had merely grinned when he passed it to Robert without him asking.  “Mister Granger is a good guy.  He’s never told Papa about my drinking ale.”  Jean-Luc laughed. “Papa would throw a fit.  Wine or whisky. That’s all a Picard man drinks!” Jean-Luc thumped the table.  Robert laughed.  “And Claude isn’t so stupid that he would tattle, because he knows I know far far worse about him!” 

A few hours later, Jean-Luc was feeling a little lightheaded.  He rested his head on the table and Walker noticed. “Johnny? Buddy, you ok?”

“Mm, I’m fine Walker.  Just felt a little...a little lightheaded.” 

“Maybe we should eat something?”  Jean-Luc could only nod.  Walker signalled for a server. “I don’t care what you bring us to eat, but Jean-Luc needs food. What can you get us fast?”

“Uh...Pommes?” 

“Fine.  Please.” The young server scurried off.  She had gone to school with Claude so she knew what had happened and if Jean-Luc’s best friend said he needed food...he needed food.  Opposite Jean-Luc, Robert studied his brother. “Walker, I don’t think Jean-Luc is ok.” 

“I don’t either, but you know he won’t admit it.” 

“Robert, what time is it?”  Robert looked at his watch. “Uhm...coming up on 11PM, why?”

“Shit!” 

“What’s wrong?”

“Jean-Luc was supposed to take his medication at 10.  Shit shit shit. Beverly is going to kill me.”

“Well, can he take it now?” 

“I don’t know.  Johnny.  Jean-Luc. Buddy?”  Walker poked at Jean-Luc to try to rouse him from his lightheadeness. “Wha?”

“Jean-Luc, you skipped a dose.”

“Uh....”  Jean-Luc fumbled in his pocket and came up with a hypospray.  “Thank goodness this has pre-set dosages.”  Walker pressed the hypospray to Jean-Luc’s neck and depressed it. 

Nothing happened.

“Shit shit shit. It’s empty.   Uhh....Robert, I gotta run back to your house.” 

“What should I do?”  Walker shrugged. “I dunno! Keep him awake? I’m going to get Beverly.”  Robert paled.  If Beverly was anything like his Marie....

“Go. I’ll look after him.” 

“Robbie, my chest hurts.”  Robert smiled slightly at the use of his childhood nickname.  “Shh, Jean-Luc.  Beverly will be here soon and she’ll take care of you.” 

Walker arrived breathless at the kitchen door.  Fortunately, Beverly was still awake and was drinking a cup of tea at the table with Yvette when Walker burst in.  “Bev! Johnny...out of...med...lightheaded....help?”  Beverly stood up and ran up to their bedroom and came back down with a med kit.  She threw her feet into winter boots and shoved on a coat and was out the door before Walker had even managed to catch his breath.  “Sorry, Yvette. Gotta....run?”  Walker ran to catch up with Beverly who was already halfway across the vineyard. 

Beverly burst into the pub and saw Robert in a corner and her husband lying across a bench.  She ran over and immediately checked his pulse. It was steady.  Beverly took out her tricorder and cursed under her breath. “ _Merde_.”

“What’s wrong, Beverly?”

“I only know how to read half of these readings.  The doctors at the base showed me what to monitor for Jean-Luc but...”  Mister Granger had started ushering people out of the pub. “Pub’s closed folks!” A villager could be heard sighing “But what about last call?”

Soon he had the pub empty except for a handful of people.  One of the men came over to them and Robert recognized the man. “Bev, this is Doctor Travers.  He’s the village doctor.  He might be able to help.”  Beverly looked up into kind green eyes. “Hello, Doctor Travers...are you familiar with Jean-Luc’s situation?”

“I’ve followed along as best as I could since he used to be a patient of mine.  Do you know what happened?”  Beverly turned to Robert and Walker. “Well?” Walker looked at the floor. “Uh...no. Sorry, Bev. Johnny just said he was feeling lightheaded.  I thought he might have skipped a dose of his medicine, but the hypospray was empty. That’s when I ran to get you.”

Beverly tapped her foot and glared at her best friend. “You and me are going to have words later.” 

“Beverly, don’t be too harsh on him.  We did ask Jean-Luc if he needed anything and he said no.”  Beverly rounded on Robert, her eyes blazing. “Oh no, Robert Picard, you’re not off the hook either!”  Robert winced.  Yep, she was _exactly_ like his Marie when angry. “Oh, and Jean-Luc told me his chest hurt. Is he alright?”  Beverly frowned. “The numbness went away from his chest today, but the doctor said it might give him pain,”  Beverly passed her tricorder to Doctor Travers.  “I only know to monitor this part here for his heart. I’m only a first year medical student.  I did my internship at the base Jean-Luc was in after his accident and I tried to learn as much as possible to monitor him, but....” Doctor Travers reached out and patted her shoulder.  “Alright, Mrs Picard I assume?”  Beverly nodded. “Ok, see this bit here? This shows us the toxicity of Jean-Luc’s blood.  It looks like he _did_ take his medication, but something is interfering with it.  Pass me your med kit?  Is this a standard kit?” Beverly nodded. “I’m not sure if I’m actually supposed to have it, but Doctor Stone gave it to me.”  Doctor Travers grinned. “I won’t tell anyone.” 

He rummaged in the kit until he found a hypospray. “Right. This should flush his system.  Did you bring his usual medication with you?”  Beverly patted her pocket. “Yes.” 

“Good.  We’ll flush out whatever is in his system and then we’ll administer him a new dose.”  Travers looked over at the barkeep.  “Roger! Are you _sure_ he was only given synthehol.”

“Positive, Doc. I made sure all the servers knew to double check before passing him a glass.”  Travers shook his head. “Well, someone gave him alcohol and it interfered with his medications.”

 _“Merde._ Will he be alright?”

“Yeah, Rog.  I can get him patched up.  But you better speak with all your servers and explain to them the importance of double and triple checking drinks.”  Beverly visibly relaxed against Walker’s chest. “Wally, I’m sorry I was blaming you. Robert?  Can you forgive me?”

“Don’t worry about it.  I was pretty worried about Jean-Luc, too.”  Doctor Travers administered several hyposprays in succession and Jean-Luc’s eyes fluttered open.  “Doc Travers? What are you? Bev?  What happened?”  Beverly leaned down and kissed him. “It seems someone passed you a drink with real alcohol in it...your body....didn’t handle it very well.”

“I told Walker I felt lightheaded, that’s the last thing I remember.”

“You told me your chest hurt and then you passed out after Walker left to get Beverly.”

“Oh.  But I’m alright now?”  Doctor Travers nodded. “You’re lucky I was here tonight, Jean-Luc.”  Beverly began to cry.  “I didn’t know what to do...I couldn’t understand the tricorder readings....I’m going to make a terrible doctor!”  Jean-Luc pulled Beverly into his arms. “Shhh, you will not. You’re only in your first year, my love. You can’t expect to know _everything_.”  Beverly smiled. “I guess so.”

“Now then, I believe we’re supposed to be celebrating Robert’s pending nuptials?  Rog, got any of that  fizzy apple juice back there?”  Roger Granger nodded and retrieved the bottle.  “On the house, guys.”

“I should think so, Rog.  A member of your staff nearly poisoned Jean-Luc!” 

“Jean-Luc, Robert, Claude.  I am so sorry this has happened to you. Let me get you guys a meal, too.”

“Pommes.  We were promised Pommes.”  Walker laughed. “He doesn’t remember anything except  me ordering Pommes. Yeah, sounds like Jean-Luc.”

“Sounds more like something Jack would say. Obviously, they spent too many years as roommates,” Beverly quipped. “But I could demolish a plate of Pommes, too.”

“You guys got it.”


	20. Chapter 20

Colette Fabron was having a bad day.  She got so excited when she saw Marie’s fiancé and his brothers walk into the pub as she still had a small crush on Jean-Luc, and then disappointment rushed through her when she spotted the simple band on his finger.  It didn’t much matter though. Her job working for her uncle brought her into contact with loads of men, and flirting was something she always enjoyed.

When her uncle started questioning everyone about who brought drinks over to the Picard boys, she panicked.  She was one of the servers and she vaguely remembered having two of the same drink on her tray – one alcoholic and on synthetic – when she stopped to chat with one of her customers.  They had been making plans to meet up after her shift and she sat his glass down on the table before delivering the drinks over to Jean-Luc and Robert.  Later she got called back to the first table and her patron complained that his drink had tasted off.  She apologized and brought him a new drink, but hadn’t thought she might have switched the drinks until now. 

Colette walked up to her uncle. “Uncle Roger? Could I...speak with you?”  Roger Granger nodded and ushered Colette into his small office.  “Make it quick, Colette.  We’re sort of in the middle of a crisis here.”

“Uh...about that...Uncle Roger...I think I might have accidentally given Jean-Luc the wrong drink.”  Roger shook his head.  “How did that happen? We told all of you to be extra careful when handling drinks for them.  I thought for sure I could have trusted _you_. Right, you’re going to have to go over there and apologize.” Colette paled. “I can’t.”

“Sure you can.”

“Uncle Roger...I’m the Maid of Honor at Robert and Marie’s wedding in two days. I have to dance with Jean-Luc.  I can’t go over there and tell him I almost poisoned him!”  Roger glared at his niece. “You’ll tell him, or you’ll be out of your job.”

“You wouldn’t! Maman...”

“I don’t care what my sister would say to me.  For anyone else, this would be cause for dismissal.  Now, I’m telling you to go over there and apologize.  And while you’re at it, deliver them a few plates of Pommes.”

Colette sighed. “Yes, uncle.”

Colette approached the table.  The crowd with them had died down, and she could see a woman sandwiched between Jean-Luc and the stranger.  Jean-Luc’s arm was draped around her and she was laughing at something the other man had said.  She must be the wife.  Sitting on Jean-Luc’s other side was Robert and next to him, Claude. Robert looked up and saw her.

“Ah, Colette!  I saw you were working earlier and didn’t want to interrupt you. Come, have a seat.  You remember my brother, Jean-Luc?  This is his wife, Beverly, and their best friend, Walker Keel.”

“Uh...Hello.  Jean-Luc, could I speak with you?”  Robert laughed. “If you’re worried about having to dance with him, don’t panic.  Beverly has been practicing with him.”

“No, its not that. Please, Jean-Luc?” 

“Whatever you need to say to me, Colette, it can be said in front of my family.”  Colette nervously looked around the table. “I’d really prefer to speak with you privately?”  Jean-Luc sighed.  “Fine, but I’m bringing Beverly. I don’t think she would let me out of her sight right now.”

“Got that right.”  They both stood, and Colette hid her grimace as she led them into a quieter corner of the pub. She knew Jean-Luc would wind up telling everyone what had happened, but she hadn’t wanted to be around when his wife, who seemed to be very protective of him, found out.  Jean-Luc sat at a table and pulled Beverly onto his lap.  “What did you need to talk to me about?”

Colette sat and fiddled with her necklace.  “Uhm....I wanted to....apologize.” 

“What for?”

“Well....It seems that I might have been the one to accidentally give you the wrong drink.” She hung her head.  Beverly rose to her feet and her eyes flashed with anger.  “You could have killed my husband.  Jean-Luc picked this pub specifically because he knew the owner and knew he would get looked after.”  Beverly glared at the other woman. 

“I didn’t know.  I didn’t think. When my other customer told me his drink tasted funny it never occurred to me that I might have brought you the wrong drink...I’m sorry?” Beverly  continued to glare.  “You better be.”

Jean-Luc chuckled and kissed Beverly’s hair.  “You’ll have to excuse my wife, Colette.  She’s a little...well, we’re all a bit...you have to understand, the past few months have not been easy on any of us. It took a lot of convincing to get me released to attend Robert’s wedding.” 

“I...I heard what happened.  Will you be ok?”

“Eventually.  But while my body is still...what’s the word I want, Bev?”

“Accepting?  Getting used to? _Healing_?!” Beverly’s eyes still showed anger.

“Right. While my body is still getting used to the artificial heart, there are things I just can’t have or do.  Right now, that includes dinking alcohol.  It probably didn’t help that earlier today the numbness has finally faded, so I suppose I should have been a little more careful.”

“Jean-Luc....stop it.  Colette brought you the wrong drink.  You wouldn’t have known it wasn’t synthetic. I’m surprised her other customer knew his wasn’t real, they taste so much alike!” 

“Beverly....”

“No,  she’s right. this is my fault, Jean-Luc. And by the way, congratulations on your wedding.  I’m sorry we...well, it really doesn’t matter now, does it?” Jean-Luc grinned.  “No, it doesn’t.”

“I want to know what she’s sorry for.”

 _“Beverly_.”

“What? This woman is basically your ex-girlfriend. I want to know what else she’s sorry for.” 

“He, ah, told you?”  Beverly nodded. “I can’t possibly hold it against you because, well, he married me.”

“When I broke it off with Jean-Luc...I said some harsh things.  I was planning on apologizing to you at the dinner tomorrow night, but now’s just as good a time.  Jean-Luc, I’m really sorry for the way I ended our relationship.” 

“It’s in the past, Colette. You’d do well to remember.  Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to celebrate my brother’s upcoming nuptials.  You’re welcome to come join us if you’d like.”  Colette smiled.  “I’d like that, thanks.”  Beverly seethed.  Sometimes, her husband was entirely _too_ nice.

Later, when Beverly and Jean-Luc were in bed and Jean-Luc had taken his nightly dose of medication, Beverly brought up Colette. “Jean-Luc, what exactly did Colette mean about when she broke things off with you? You said you weren’t exactly dating.”

“We weren’t.  We just sort of...went out.  Usually with Robert and Marie.  She wasn’t my girlfriend...I told you, she slept with Louis too.” Beverly nodded. “Well, right before I left for the Academy, she told me she had slept with him and told me he had been better than me.”

“Was that all?”

“She may have compared our penis sizes as well.” 

“I, ah, see. Well, without seeing Louis’, I can’t comment, but I have no complaints...” Jean-Luc pulled her over to him and held her close. “Good thing you don’t.  I’ve got nothing to complain about, either.”

“Would it be wrong to ask you if the sex was good with her?”  Jean-Luc tightened his grip on Beverly. “I was sixteen with no experience.”

“That doesn’t answer the question.”

“ _Beverly...._ it was a long time ago.” 

“Six years isn’t a long time!”  Beverly rolled over to face Jean-Luc. “You don’t want to tell me, do you?”

“I.....it’s better with you?”  Beverly leaned down and kissed him. “It better be. Oh, and I plan on cutting in on your dance with Colette at the wedding.”  Jean-Luc grinned. “I wouldn’t expect anything less from you.”

###

Colette was dancing with Jean-Luc.  He held her in his arms loosely, but he seemed to be at ease with the dancing, something he hadn’t been six years ago when they had danced together at a school formal.  Colette rested her head on Jean-Luc’s shoulder and he stiffened and jerked away from her when she tried to toy with the hair on the back of his neck. “Colette, no.”

Colette twirled her fingers in his hair and whispered, “you wouldn’t want to cause a scene at your brother’s wedding, would you?”  Jean-Luc gently removed her hand from his neck.  “No, but you’d do well not to anger my wife.”  Colette glanced over to where Beverly was being forced to dance with Claude.  Beverly was shooting daggers at Colette and she only smiled sweetly at the woman before turning back to Jean-Luc.  She leaned up and kissed his cheek.  “I told you, no.”

“Just one little kiss? For old time’s sake?”  Colette puckered her lips and Jean-Luc pushed her away from him. “I told you, no. Colette.  I’m married now and very much in love with my wife.  If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t have married her.” 

“But you and I were supposed to get married!”  Jean-Luc raised his eyebrows.  “Excuse me?”

“Our fathers....they agreed..you would be allowed to go to the Academy and then we would get married.”  Jean-Luc shot a glare over towards his father, who wasn’t paying attention and was busy refilling the glasses of Marie’s parents.  “Look, Colette. You’re a lovely girl,  but even if our father’s thought we were suited to each other, I wouldn’t have married you.  I’m not and never was in love with you.” 

“You could...learn to love me?”

“No.”  The music ended.  Jean-Luc dropped his hands from her waist. “Thank you for the dance.  Excuse me, I need to find my wife.”

Jean-Luc found his mother first. “Maman, may I speak with you?”

“What do you need, Jean-Luc?”

“I need to know why Colette seemed to think I was going to marry her?  You and Papa _like_ Beverly.”

“Of course we like Beverly.  Why would you think we wanted you to marry Roger’s niece?”  Jean-Luc tried to keep from rolling his eyes. “Maman, Colette just told me that her father and Papa made some kind of arrangement that I would marry her when I graduated the academy!”  Yvette patted Jean-Luc’ arm. “ _Non_. I am sure your father never said anything of the sort.  Colette must have misunderstood.  Perhaps your father and I had thought you and Colette might have gotten together when you were dating her, but I love Beverly and would not wish that she were anyone else.  She treats you well, and I’m sure your father would agree with me.”  Jean-Luc hung his head.

“I’m sorry, Maman.  I just needed to know.” 

“I know. Now, will you humour your old mother with a dance? I see Beverly over there dancing with your Walker.  I wouldn’t mind if you cut in and let me dance with such a fine young man....”

 _“Maman!”_ Jean-Luc shook his head at his mother but led her out onto the dance floor and danced over to where Beverly was gliding around with Walker.  Jean-Luc tapped Walker on the shoulder. “Could I have my wife back, Walker?”  Walker grinned and turned to Yvette. “Yvette, may I dance with you?”  Walker bowed slightly to Jean-Luc’s mother and Beverly laughed when Walker turned back towards her and kissed her hand.  “Behave, Walker.”

Jean-Luc slid his arms around Beverly’s waist and leaned down to give her a searing kiss.  “I love you.”

“I love you too, Jean-Luc. What was going on over there with Colette?”  Jean-Luc shook his head. “I wish I knew.  She seemed to be under a delusion that she and I were going to get married.  I suspect it’s because most of our classmates will wind up marrying their school sweetheart....but...I never would have considered her my girlfriend, and she’s the one who broke things off with me when I left, so....”  he shrugged his shoulders.  Beverly shook her head. “Poor girl. Still, maybe she’ll find someone at the wedding to hook up with.....oh no.”  Beverly turned so Jean-Luc could see what she was looking at.  Colette was trying to convince Marcal to dance with her. 

“Yeah. That’s not going to end well.” She shrugged. “Oh well. Either Marc will tell her he’s gay or Walker will just go up to them and kiss Marc.  I almost want to watch and see what happens....” 

 _“Beverly_.” 

“Sorry.” 

Jean-Luc continued to twirl his wife around the dance floor and they only took a break when Jean-Luc needed to take his medication.  They headed back to the house and Beverly administered the next dose in the kitchen.  Jean-Luc looked longingly at the stairs.  “Couldn’t we just....”

“No.  Jean-Luc, this is your brother’s wedding and you’re his best man! You’re not getting out of your speech.”  Jean-Luc sighed. “I really _hate_ speaking in public.” 

“Come on, let’s get it over with.”  Beverly wrapped her arm around Jean-Luc and led him back outside to the reception.

Jean-Luc took a deep breath and tapped on the glass he was holding. “Friends, family...if I could have your attention for just one moment,” Jean-Luc paused while conversations ceased and people turned to look at him.  He swallowed, but locked eyes with Beverly for a minute and felt confident.  “When my brother first met Marie, we were schoolkids.  Marie was in my class and I think our parents had arranged a playdate?”  Jean-Luc looked over at his mother, who nodded. “How was I to know that one of the girls I played with in the mud was going to become my sister in law?”  He paused while people chuckled. “Marie, do you know what you’re getting into marrying my brother? I hope you realise you haven’t just gained a husband, but you’ve gained two brothers in Claude and I...and a sister in my wife.

“Robert...I know we haven’t always agreed on things, but the one thing that always unified us was tormenting our little brother.” Claude grimaced.  “I’m kidding. But it took us both growing up to really become friends with each other, and that’s something I’ll be grateful for for the rest of my life.  Now, if you’ll all raise a glass of the special vintage Robert and my father made for today  and join me in a toast to Robert and Marie.”  There were echoes of “Robert and Marie”  all around as everyone took a drink.  Jean-Luc walked over to his brother and Marie and kissed Marie’s cheek before embracing his brother. “Thanks, Jean-Luc.” 

“I meant what I said, Robbie.  I’m so glad we’ve managed to put the past behind us and be friends.”

“Me too, little brother. Me too.” 

Jean-Luc walked back over to Beverly and kissed her before whispering in her ear, “Now can we sneak away?”  Beverly laughed and took him by the hand. “You’d think it was our wedding the way you’re acting around me.” 

“I just...”

“I know.” Beverly looked around and pulled Jean-Luc behind one of the barns.  She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply.  “We don’t want to steal Marie and Robert’s thunder.”  Jean-Luc had his hands tangled in Beverly’s hair as he continued to kiss her. “Then let’s go upstairs.  Please?”

“You really are insatiable today, aren’t you?”

“It’s the dress.  You look incredible.  I just want to devour you.” Beverly blushed. “Thank Marie for the dress. She picked it out. Now come on, come dance with me just until your brother and Marie leave. We owe them not to sneak off.”  Jean-Luc pretended to pout but he nuzzled against her neck. “Fine.”

Jean-Luc and Beverly glided across the dance floor.  Several extended family members who had missed their wedding the summer before occasionally stopped them to offer congratulations on their wedding, or to tell Jean-Luc how glad they were to hear he was on the mend.  Jean-Luc rolled his eyes as a cousin of his father’s walked away. “You would think today was _our_ wedding, not Robert and Marie’s.  I hope Robert doesn’t mind.”  Beverly glanced over to where Robert was leading Marie in a slow dance. “Something tells me, he hasn’t even noticed.”

Jean-Luc glanced up when he saw Robert and Marie take to the small stage and Claude banged a spoon against a glass for attention. 

“Thank you all for coming. Marie and I appreciate the outpouring of love you all have shown us.  But, as much as today is about us, we wanted to acknowledge another couple here.  They were married last Summer in a small ceremony and since then they both managed to graduate from Starfleet Academy in the top five percent -  See, Jean-Luc, I read your letters – and then when my brother was stabbed...his wife stayed by his side. For a while, we didn’t know if my little brother....”  Robert trailed off as tears gathered in his eyes.  “What I’m trying to say, Jean-Luc, in front of everyone here, is that I’m so very glad you survived. And Beverly...I don’t think Jean-Luc could have picked a better person to fall in love with.”  Robert raised his glass. “To Jean-Luc and Beverly!” 

Beverly grinned and pulled Jean-Luc in for a searing kiss as the gathered crowd cheered and clapped.  “I love you,” she whispered against his lips.  “Love you, too.” 

Jean-Luc watched out of the corner of his eye as his younger brother took to the stage and patted his pocket. “Oh no. Bev...has Missy mentioned anything about getting married to you?”  Beverly shook her head.  “Only to tell me that she didn’t think she could be in school and married like I was....why?”  Jean-Luc cocked his head towards the stage. “Oh no. You have to stop him.”

“How?”

“Go up there!”  Beverly pushed Jean-Luc towards the stage and he climbed up next to his brother and spoke softly in his ear. “Claude, I know you love Missy, but this really _isn’t_ the right way to do this. Trust me.” 

“I...ah....” Claude allowed Jean-Luc to guide him off the stage to a corner where Beverly was standing with Marie and Robert. 

 “Mm, I think I can trust you three not to get in trouble. I’m going to dance with Marc.  Marie, why don’t you come with me? Walker is an excellent dancer.”  Beverly kissed Jean-Luc before  the two women left, leaving the three brother’s alone. 

“Claude. Tell me you weren’t thinking about proposing to Missy at my wedding.” 

“I....”  he sheepishly grinned at his older brothers.  Jean-Luc rolled his eyes.  “Have you talked to Missy about marriage at all?”

“Err..no?”  Robert sighed and clapped Claude on the shoulder. “You really ought to talk to her before you propose. Make sure she’s on the same page.” 

“I guess.  But I just thought....never mind.”  Claude frowned.  “Look, why don’t I go ask Missy to dance and you go on a little walk?  Clear your mind before you do something you might regret.”

“You hate dancing?”

“Ah, but when you’re married to someone who dances, you wind up dancing a lot.  She even had me dancing on our first date.”  Claude nudged his brother. “The horizontal Mambo?”

“ _Claude!”_   Jean-Luc’s face coloured and Robert laughed.  “Claude, be thankful their bedroom isn’t next to yours! All I’m going to say.” 

###

Robert and Marie had departed on their short honeymoon, the wedding guests had left, and Yvette shooed her sons and their partners away along with Walker and Marcal.  Claude snagged a few spare bottles of bubbly and a bottle of sparkling juice and they all headed to the lounge.  Beverly and Jean-Luc sat together in the oversized armchair and Jean-Luc idly stroked Beverly’s arm, making her shiver.  She tilted her head to give him a kiss and Claude shook his head. “Do you two ever stop?!”

“No,” Walker supplied as he took a bottle of champagne from Claude and popped the cork.  “Why do you think I booked my room far away from theirs at the hotel in Cologne? I used to live with them.”  Missy laughed.  “I think it’s sweet.  Bev and Johnny are in love.” 

Walker raised his eyebrows at his little sister and she blushed.  “So when do we leave?”

“Tomorrow.  We catch a transporter to Munich and from there up to Cologne.  The transpoter leaves at ten, so we have plenty of time....I don’t even know what time it is right now.”  Jean-Luc glanced over at the large clock on the mantle. “Nine.”

“Oh, the night is still young then!” Jean-Luc rolled his eyes. “Maybe for you.  I’m still recovering and we had two late nights in a row.  I better head to bed.” 

“I’ll come with you,” Beverly’s eyes shined.  Claude made a face.

“Jean-Luc, please tell me my room is far away from yours?”  Jean-Luc nodded and grinned at his brother. “Right next to Walker’s!” 

“You wouldn’t?” 

“He would.”  Claude sighed and Missy giggled.  “I’m kidding.  You’re on the upper floor,  we’re on the first floor, and I think Walker and Marcal are on the other side of the corridor from us.”

“Wait, that’s only three rooms, Jean-Luc. Where’s my sister’s room?” 

“Uhmm.....”  Missy blushed.  “I’m, ah, staying with Claude....”   Walker’s eyes bulged out.  “What?  No way.  Mom and Dad would kill me if they find out I let you share a room with your boyfriend!” 

“You’re sharing a room with yours.” 

“That’s different. We’re adults.” 

“Wally?  I’m eighteen.”  Walker frowned. “Fine.  But if there’s any funny business going on, I’ll....”

“You’ll what?” Missy challenged her older brother. 

“I’ll....” Walker trailed off.  “Just be careful, alright?” 

“Bev took me to get an implant, it’s all good!”  Missy smiled sweetly at her brother and Walker turned towards Beverly who was making a steady retreat towards the stairs with Jean-Luc.  “Bev?”

“What was I supposed to do, Wally?  Tell her no?”

“No...I mean yes...I mean....” he sighed. “Thank you for looking out for her.” 

“You’re welcome.” Beverly planted a kiss on Walker’s cheek. “Goodnight.  We’ll see you in the morning.” 

“Night Bev, night Johnny.” 

Beverly and Jean-Luc entered their bedroom and Beverly kicked the heels she had been wearing off under the bed and flopped onto the chaise at the foot of the bed.  “I am so glad to get rid of those shoes.”  Jean-Luc lifted Beverly’s feet into his lap and he slid his hands under her dress to find the tops of her stockings.  He slowly rolled them down and tossed them towards the laundry basket before he took a foot in his hand and started massaging it.  Beverly moaned. “Uhh that feels fantastic.” 

“We’d be more comfortable on the bed.”  Beverly smirked. “And I suppose, if we get naked?” 

“The thought had crossed my mind....”  Beverly grinned, stood, and unzipped her dress.  The emerald fabric rippled into a pool at her feet.  She stepped out of it.  “Well?”

Jean-Luc wasted very little time removing his dress uniform and tugging Beverly onto the bed.  “What about my foot massage?”

“Later, love.” 


	21. Chapter 21

“How was your brother’s wedding?”  Jean-Luc was sitting once again in one of the comfortable wing-backed chairs in Professor Runcorn’s office nursing a cup of tea. 

“It went well. It was good to see my family and Robert and Marie are incredibly happy together.”

“As happy as you and Beverly?”  Jean-Luc grinned. “I hope so.”

“Tell me about your brother’s stag night?  Something happened?”

“Oh.  That.  I suppose there are notes from Doctor Travers?” Runcorn nodded.  “My ex was our server. She’s always been a little...flighty and she mixed up our drinks with another table’s  order and I drank alcohol.  It wasn’t a big deal, but it apparently interacted with my medication and I passed out.  It was fortunate Doctor Travers was there....he’s our old village doctor.” 

“And you’re fine now?”  Jean-Luc nodded. “Perfectly.  Doctor Travers flushed my system and then I was able to take my medication again.  Since then, Beverly’s been even more protective of me.” 

“Does that bother you?”

“Nah, but when we were in Cologne at the Christmas Market it was hard because there was so much alcohol around and I really would have loved to indulge.” 

“I must admit, I am partial to a little Glüwein at the holidays. “  Jean-Luc grinned at the professor. “Glad I’m not the only one.”

“But other than missing the wine, you had a good holiday?”

“It was fantastic. Almost like a mini honeymoon for Beverly and I.  Sure, we had my brother and his girlfriend and Walker and Marc with us, but it was nice to just not have to worry about the next appointment with the doctors or my next PT session....though I suspect those are about to be scheduled soon.  Still, it was nice having the break.  I know some people with illnesses don’t ever get to take time off from their care, so I feel grateful that the doctors had been able to arrange the time off.”

“I suspect your wife didn’t allow you to lay around idle for the three weeks?”  Jean-Luc shook his head. “Neither did Maman.  First it was decorating for Christmas, then getting everything set up for the wedding and trying to erect the massive marquee.  I think Beverly had me out on the dance floor the entire duration of the reception.  Then our trip and when we got back, I finally got to ride my horse.” 

“Was it as good as you hoped?”

“Better, really.  Beverly rode with me.”  Runcorn smiled.  “Glad to hear it.”  Runcorn cleared his throat.  “I understand the trial is happening soon?”  Jean-Luc nodded.

“Now that I’m...well, not in danger of dying.  I guess if I had died they would have tried him for murder, but instead it’s ‘grievous bodily harm and attempted murder’.”

“How do you feel about seeing the Nausicaan again?”

“A little nervous.  I’ve only seen two others since the accident, both at Earhart. The first time, I ran as fast as my crutches would carry me, and the second time I did this relaxing exercise Bev found in one of her textbooks.”

“What kind of exercise?”

“You start with five things you see, then four you can touch, it goes on to hearing, smelling, and then one thing about the day.  It really helped, but I hope I don’t feel that anxious in court.  I mean, the Nausicaan will be restrained and there will be plenty of security.”

“And you’ll see your friends again.”

“Will I?  Oh, I suppose they’re being called as witnesses.  That will be nice.  We haven’t heard from Marta at all.”

“Marta is Corey’s girlfriend?”

“Was.  Beverly said they broke up before they each went on assignment.  I haven’t talked to Marta or Corey, but Walker and Jack have and they both said that Marta feels responsible for the accident, even though she had nothing to do with it other than helping us deactivate the cheating device.”

“I see.  Maybe she’s also a little jealous of you and Beverly?” 

“Why?”

“Well, her relationship with her Academy boyfriend ended. You and Beverly got married and plan on being stationed together after she finishes med school, don’t you?”  Jean-Luc nodded. “I never thought about it like that.  I suppose I should give Marta some slack for not contacting me.  Corey has an excuse. He went into deep space along the Neutral Zone.  I guess he’ll be here for the trail though. Hmm. I wonder how Marta will feel seeing Corey?”

“That’s something only Marta would know.  And you and Marta never?”

“Oh no.  I fell in love with Beverly the minute I met her at orientation.  Jack had a crush on her too, but he was more about getting conquests than girlfriends.”   Runcorn laughed. “Yes, I can remember those days. I think most of us go through that phase.”

“Not me.  I mean, I slept with two girls but I didn’t want to just...put notches on my headboard.  And I really liked Beverly and kept chickening out on asking her out.”  Runcorn raised his eyebrows. “Well, something obviously happened.”  Jean-Luc let out a laugh. “Yeah, all our friends were busy one night so Beverly told me I was taking her out.”

“You don’t seem to mind letting her be in control of things.” 

“Nah.  She can be in control of our relationship, I’ll be in control of a starship.”  Runcorn made notes on his PADD. “You seem very determined.” 

“Yes, Sir.  Beverly and I have a plan....I would make Captain by 30 and we would serve together.  Of course, then she would have to listen to me.”

“Of course. You don’t anticipate it being a problem if you’re her commanding officer? It’s rare but not unheard of in Starfleet to allow married couples to serve together.”  Jean-Luc frowned. “Really?  I didn’t think it would be a problem. I mean, if we have children we’d both want to be raising them together....”

“I’m sure it will be possible.  I just want you to be prepared that it might take some convincing.” 

“Even if Beverly graduates top of her class at Medical?  Surely they’d want the best of the best serving together?” 

“Do you think you’re the best?”  Jean-Luc looked at his teacup. “Well, I did.  I mean, not number one, but I came in second behind Beverly.  But now....I don’t know.  I’ve already missed five months of serving.  Do you think I could do something while I’m still in recovery?”

“Do?”

“Yeah, like some office work or something?  I mean, it would be boring, but it would be doing _something.”_

“What about tutoring? Put your second best in class to work.”  Jean-Luc considered it for a moment. “I could do that.  Just not in OChem. I only passed OChem because Beverly helped me study.” 

“Tell you what, Ensign. I will speak with your doctors here and on Earhart and if they think it would be a good idea, I will put it to the Administrators.  There’s still a few weeks before classes start up again, but I’m sure we’ll be able to find you something to do here at the Academy.”  Jean-Luc’s face brightened. “Thanks, Professor.”  Jean-Luc stood up.  “Where are you going?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I wanted to go tell Beverly...”

“Go.  Our session is over.  I’ll see you again in a few days?”  Jean-Luc nodded. “Thanks, Professor. See you later!”

###

Jean-Luc’s palms were sweaty and he wiped them on his uniform before clutching Beverly’s hand.  “Jean-Luc? Are you alright?”

“Just a little nervous.  The man who stabbed me is in that building.  I know he can’t do anything to me, but he had friends.”

“They were arrested too. Accessories or something like that.”  A uniform-clad figure strode towards them from the building.  “Jean-Luc , Beverly.”

“Phil! So great to see you. I didn’t know you had gone into the judiciary branch.” 

“Yep. So, here I am.  I am to be your...well, I’m not your counsel as I’m not qualified, but I’m your lawyer’s assistant.”

“I have a lawyer?”

“Didn’t you know?”  Jean-Luc shook his head and looked at Beverly. “Don’t look at me. This is the first I’ve heard.” 

Philippa shrugged. “Well, you have one.  Follow me and I’ll take you in to see him.”

Jean-Luc and Beverly were led into a small office with a very large desk in it.  Behind the desk was a man who introduced himself as Captain Paris.  Paris sat them down and had Jean-Luc describe exactly what happened as far as he could remember, then he had Beverly tell the story from her point of view.  Paris also would be interviewing Walker, Marcal, and Jack in person, and Corey and Marta over subspace.  Jean-Luc frowned.  Corey he understood since it would have taken him weeks to get back to Earth, but Marta shouldn’t have had any trouble.  Paris addressed Beverly. “Ensign Picard...I’m sorry, are you a Cadet again or do I call you Doctor? “  Beverly grinned. “My rank is Ensign. I can’t use Doctor for another few years.”  Paris noded. “Ensign Picard, your testimony will likely be thrown out simply because you are Ensign Picard’s...oh no, that’s not going to get confusing.” 

“You can just call me Mrs Picard, I don’t mind.” 

“Thank you.  As I was trying to explain before I confused myself, Mrs Picard, the defence will lobby for your testimony to be thrown out simply because you are Ensign Picard’s spouse.”

“That doesn’t seem fair.  I was there. I had Jean-Luc’s blood all over me and I though he...”  she trailed off and Owen Paris leaned across the desk to pat the young woman’s hand.  “I know.  This is why I’d like to sue the Nausicaan for emotional damage.” 

“Emotional damage?”

“Yes.  Mrs Picard, have you spoken with a therapist about how all of this has effected you?”  Beverly studied her hand clasped tightly in Jean-Luc’s. “No. I....Ffest was a bit of an ass to me when I first spoke with him and then I never....I’m sorry. I thought I could handle things o my own.”

_“ Beverly!”_

“What? I needed to be there for you...I was fine...after I knew you’d be alright...”

 Paris sighed. “I’m going to need you to speak with someone before we can proceed.  We’ll need to show that Ensign Picard’s accident caused you extreme emotional harm.”

“It did.  Ask Walker.  He’s the one who...well, he took care of Beverly when I was in a stasis bubble.”  Paris nodded. “I have an appointment with him this afternoon, and one with your flatmate.  Ensign Crusher will be arriving tonight. Now, I know you are friends and would love to see your friends but it’s very important that I record my interviews before you speak with your friends.”

“Why can’t we see them?”  Beverly was thinking about how much she wanted to just curl up on her sofa between Walker and Jean-Luc for a few hours of mindless holovid watching. 

“Corroboration.”  Beverly gave Paris a blank look.  “Basically, so we can prove that you all didn’t make up the same story to tell so it would match.”

“Oh, I see.  But we live with Marc and Walker is his boyfriend.” Paris nodded. “I will be interviewing them this afternoon, so you will be fine to talk to them tonight.  I just would like for you to refrain from speaking with Ensign Crusher until after tomorrow morning.”

“I guess we can do that.  Does that mean Wally can’t talk to him, either?”   Paris nodded. “I will inform Ensign Crusher that he cannot speak with any of you until I interview him.”

They departed Owen Paris’ office and once they were safely in the corridor, Jean-Luc stopped walking and turned to Beverly. “Why didn’t you see a therapist?  _Beverly_ , you nearly shut down because I was stabbed.” Tears sprung to Beverly’s eyes.  “I thought I could handle it, alright?  I didn’t want to talk to anyone because then I would have to admit there was a possibility you were going to die.  I barely even spoke with Walker!”  Jean-Luc pulled Beverly into his arms and kissed her head. “Shh.  I know, my love. But I think you need to talk to someone.  Professor Runcorn has been really easy to talk to, he’s much better than Fez was.” 

“I...” she sighed. “Fine.  I’ll see if the professor has time for me.” 

“Why don’t we stop by his office now and ask?”  Beverly shot her husband a look. “You don’t think I’ll see him, do you?”

“Well....”  Beverly kissed him. “I love you.”

“I love you too, but what’s brought that on?”

“You know me so well.  Let’s stop by the professor’s office. If he can’t see me, maybe he knows someone who can....”

###

It was Beverly’s turn to sit with a cup of tea in Professor Runcorn’s office.  “Beverly, it really is a delight to see you.  I know how you feel about psychology, but may I just say you were my top student ? If you ever want to go into Psychology instead or in addition to...”  Beverly blushed. “Thank you, professor.  But I think command and medicine is enough for now.”

“Quite. And a relationship.”

“Well, that hardly counts as work.  Jean-Luc and I...” she trailed off.  The worst part about having been a psychology student is knowing all of the psychologist tricks.  Runcorn sighed. “Beverly, I know it’s hard for you to come and talk to me, but I think your husband is right. He told me what he was told happened to you after his accident and I’d like for you to tell me.” Beverly took a deep breath.

“When Jean-Luc was stabbed, I wanted to run to him, but Walker held me back.  I think he thought there might have been another knife...then the Nausicaans were stunned and I ran to Jean-Luc and the first thing I did was checked for his pulse.  It was weak and there was blood. So much blood and I couldn’t stop the  bleeding....”  tears filled Beverly’s eyes and she began to sob.  Her sobbing soon turned into hyperventilating and she began gasping for air. 

“Beverly.  Listen to my voice.  Do the exercise you found for Jean-Luc.  Come on, five things....” 

“I...can’t....” 

“You can.  I know you can. Come on.  Tell me five things you can see.” Beverly took big gulps of air.  “I see...I see....nothing.”

“No you don’t. Come on, Beverly.”  Professor Runcorn grabbed his PADD and sent a message to his secretary – _GET ENSIGN JEAN-LUC PICARD NOW!_  - “Beverly, reach out and grab my hand.” Beverly tentatively reached out her hand and grabbed his.  “Great. Now squeeze it.  Just breath for me as you squeeze my hand, alright?  Can you count to five in your head as you breath in?  Good, now hold it for five, then breathe out for five.  Keep on breathing like that. “ 

Jean-Luc burst into the room. “Professor...what happened?” 

“I, ah, asked her about the night of your accident. I probably should have had you stay. I think she panicked.”  Jean-Luc gave the professor a wry grin.  “There’s a lot of that going on lately.”  Jean-Luc knelt down in front of Beverly and cupped her face gently so she would look up.  “Bev, my love, I’m here.”  Beverly looked up and her eyes slowly came into focus.  “Just keep breathing for the professor.  Do you want me to hold you?” She nodded.  Jean-Luc climbed up behind her on the chair and pulled her into his lap.  He leaned down and placed a kiss on her temple. “Shhh, Bev.  It’s fine.  I’m alright.  We’re both fine.  Just breath, love.”  He looked at the professor.  “What were you having her do?”

“Breath in on five, hold for five, out for five.”  Jean-Luc nodded. “Ok, Bev, I need you to breathe in for me...two...three...four....five...Hold it....two...three...four...five...and out....two...three...four...five.  Again. “  Beverly slowly gained control of her breathing and sank into Jean-Luc’s embrace. 

“Beverly?”  Beverly looked over at her professor. “I’m sorry I asked you something that caused you pain.  Would you like to talk about it if Jean-Luc is here with you?”  Beverly slowly nodded.

“Ok.  Talk when you’re ready.  No pressure. Tell me whatever you want to say.” 

Beverly gripped Jean-Luc’s hand.  “I thought you were dead.” 

“I thought that was why they put me in stasis so I wouldn’t die?”  Beverly nodded and swallowed her tears.  “Rationally....I knew they were saving you....but seeing you in that bubble...oh God, Jean-Luc, I never want to go through that with you again.  I don’t even remember anything from that first night.  I know I met Serif.”

“Who’s Serif?”

“Serif Felix. She was the nurse assigned to Jean-Luc.  She did some magic with the stasis bubble so I could hold Jean-Luc’s hand and she took care of him after his surgery...she took care of me, too.  And Walker.  Walker never left my side except when he went to call Maman.”

“Jean-Luc’s mother?”  Beverly nodded. “She told me to call her Maman, too. My parents died when I was four so...Maman became my mother too.” 

“Can you tell me what Walker helped you with?”

“A shower.  I was covered in Jean-Luc’s,”  Beverly paused to squeeze Jean-Luc’s hand as if to make sure he was still there.  “I was covered in his blood.  I even had some in my hair.  I don’t remember much.  I remember accidentally flashing Walker because he told me to take off my panties and I just took them off.”  Jean-Luc chuckled. “Quite a shock for him, I imagine.”  Beverly grinned.  “Did I tell you he saw me naked?”  Jean-Luc nodded and kissed her temple again. “I told you it was fine.  It wasn’t the first time, anyway.”  Beverly laughed at that comment and Doctor Runcorn could only raise his eyebrows.

“You and Walker had a relationship?”

“Oh, no. He’s gay.  But he walked in on us....more than once...” 

“I see.”

“Jean-Luc is the one who kissed him!” 

“ _Beverly!_ ”

“I...see....”

“Professor, it’s kind of a long story, but Walker wasn’t sure if he was into girls or guys, so Beverly and I both kissed him.  It’s not a big deal.”

“Right.  So, Walker helped you shower?”  Beverly nodded. “I don’t think I was really aware what was going on.  I was kind of in a daze?  Like it wasn’t really happening and I was watching a holofilm.” 

“What else do you remember?”

“I made Jack go back to our quarters to bring me something to sleep in.  And Walker offered to stay with me.  I wouldn’t leave Jean-Luc’s side or let go of his hand, so we pushed the folding  bed up against the bubble and then Walker moved the couch so he was on my other side in case I needed him....he’s really a good friend.  My best friend, after Jean-Luc.” 

“He sounds like a good friend. Now, can you tell me what happened after you found out Jean-Luc would have surgery?” 

“I had hope.  I still wouldn’t leave Jean-Luc and I even would use the bathroom with the door open just in case, but I wasn’t worried anymore because I knew Jean-Luc would be coming back to me.  I suppose that’s why I’m a little clingy and protective.”  Jean-Luc tightened his grip on her. “I don’t mind.  I think I would be too if our places were reversed.”

“Really? You don’t mind?”

“Nah.  Ask the professor. I told him I liked it.”  Beverly smiled.  “I appreciate the lie.”

“It’s not a lie.”

“Fine then, the bending of the truth.”   Runcorn smiled at the young couple. “Can you tell me what Jean-Luc’s recovery has been like for you?”

“After the surgery, he was unconscious for six...almost seven weeks.  I had to contact Starfleet Medical to defer my enrolment, but then we came to an arrangement with the hospital on Earhart so I could still gain credit...I wasn’t going to leave Jean-Luc and would have quit altogether if I needed to.”

“I’m glad you didn’t quit. You love the idea of being a doctor.”

“I love you more, though.”  Jean-Luc grinned. 

“And you assisted with Jean-Luc’s recovery once he was awake?”  Beverly nodded. “Mostly with his physical therapy, but I got to observe his exams. The surgeon let me observe a similar procedure so I would understand what she had done for Jean-Luc. It was kind of fascinating and now I understand how it work in case....well, in case something ever goes wrong with it again. “

“Is that a fear of yours?”  Beverly looked down at her hand clutching Jean-Luc’s.  “Yes.”

“Beverly... What you experienced, while not as life-threatening as what  Jean-Luc went through, was still life-changing.”

“I...”

“I know how you feel about this . I really do.  But I think it would be beneficial for you if we talked a few more times.”  Beverly slowly nodded. “Captain Paris has asked if I would give a report on your mental state as a result of the accident. Do I have your permission to do so?  Captain Paris thinks we can add emotional damage to the list of charges, and I have to agree.”

“But...I feel fine now.” 

“You deserve to get compensation for what you were put through, same as Jean-Luc does. Trust Captain Paris and I on this.”  Beverly slowly nodded. 

“Will this affect my status at the medical school?” 

“It shouldn’t, as long as you are able to keep up with your studies.” 

“What’s going to happen at the trial now?”

“You’ll have to talk to Captain Paris about that, but I think I have to submit my report, and they’ll probably talk to your friend Walker to get his version of events, but then it’s up to the judge.” 

“Can I think about this?  I....I don’t know how I feel about all of this.  I’m just not sure if it’s necessary. Jean-Luc, what do you think?”

“I think,” he paused to kiss her temple. “That you’ve been through almost as much as me and that Nausicaan is to blame for it.” 

“Ok.”

“Ok?”

“Do it.”


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know how this ends, I just have to get the story to that point. Bear with me....

The trial took nearly two weeks.  The end result was the Nausicaan, Gejhei, would be sent to a penal colony for the rest of his life, and Beverly and Jean-Luc had been awarded a not unsubstantial amount of money from the Nausicaan government.  The three other Nausicaans were given lesser sentences and monies were awarded to Corey and Jack as well.  Beverly had never seen that amount of money in her entire life and if truth be told, she was a little overwhelmed by it. 

“Jean-Luc...that’s a lot of money.  What are we going to do with it?”  Jean-Luc wrapped an arm around his wife. They probably had more money than they ever would need from the vineyard, especially since they wouldn’t need much money while serving in Starfleet.  “Well, I guess we put it in a bank.  There might come a time when we want to buy a house or something and would need the money....or we could have a few fantastic holidays.”

“Jean-Luc, we could pay for _all_ of us to go on holiday every year and still have plenty left over.” 

“True.” He kissed her soundly. “You know, going on a holiday doesn’t sound like a bad idea. Perhaps once I’m fully recovered we can try to get everyone together for a proper holiday.” 

“Mmm. Someplace warm?”

“You got it.” 

###

“Professor Runcorn, Captain Paris said something at the trial that has stuck in my mind.”

“Oh?”

“He said that sometimes it’s harder for the survivors than the victims.  And...I think that might be true.  I mean, Jean-Luc was unconscious for seven week and he didn’t know he was...but I did.”  Runcorn nodded.  “And I mean, the money was nice, but it’s not going to go back and change things, is it?   So what was the point ? Sure, now we’re rich or whatever, but we had money before.  It’s not going to magically make me stop worrying about Jean-Luc every time he’s out of my sight.”

“Let’s talk about that, Beverly.  You know eventually, Jean-Luc will be released from Medical and accept an assignment.  How are you going to handle being apart from him for months on end?”

“I....I don’t know.” Beverly studied her hands. “But that’s still at least four months away, so....can I deal with it then?”

“What do you think?” Beverly was silent for a few minutes and continued to look at her hands.  “Er....no?” 

“So what can you do to prepare yourself?”

“I don’t know.  I mean, we have plans to talk every day once he’s on assignment...we were going to do it before and plan for him to have shore leave around my school schedule.  I guess now that we have all that money we don’t have to worry about affording all the trips. But, I don’t want to think of his accident as a positive thing.  I’d rather not have the money.”

“Understandable, but then Jean-Luc would be serving on the _New Orleans_.”

“Y-yes, but he would have taken his shore leave now because I’m on break.  It’s what we agreed on.”

“I see.  Beverly, I’m going to suggest something I wouldn’t usually suggest to a couple, but why doesn’t Jean-Luc go away with Ensign Keel for a few days? See how you handle things.”  Beverly frowned. “I...I guess that would be ok.”

“Good. Go talk to Jean-Luc and Ensign Keel and come see me after their little trip.  Or come see me during the trip if you need me.”

“Ok.  Thank you, Professor.”

###

“Bev, are you sure?”

“No, but Professor Runcorn thinks it would be good for me to see how I feel about you being away. And since you don’t start your new therapy until Wednesday....”  Jean-Luc circled his arms around her and gave her a kiss.  “Alright. I’ll talk to Walker. Maybe we’ll take Jack along too, he has a few more days of shore leave left before he has to get back to his assignment.  We’ll go to La Barre or Connecticut.  One of our parent’s.” Beverly nodded and kissed him back. “Ok.”

“What will you do?”

“Worry?”  Beverly grinned. “No, I don’t know. I guess go into Medical and get my bearings.  Try to get prepared for the semester.” Beverly paused and rested her hand on his chest.  “And don’t forget your medication, and _don’t_ drink any alcohol.” 

“Cross my heart, Walker will taste every drink before I do.” Beverly laughed. “Well, maybe not _that_ extreme.”

They made the decision to go to La Barre for the weekend. Mostly because Jean-Luc really wanted to go riding again and Walker enjoyed Yvette’s cooking.  When Beverly kissed her husband goodbye, Walker complained about not getting a kiss, so Beverly gave him a peck on the lips.  Walker made a face. “Nope, still gay.”  Beverly rolled her eyes. 

“Right.  I’ll see you both on Sunday evening.  I would say call me, but the whole point is for me to deal with you not being here.  I love you, Jean-Luc”

“Love you too, Bev.  I promise, nothing will happen.  I’ll be with Walker and Jack.” Beverly frowned. “This is supposed to reassure me?” 

“Aw, Bev. You know we won’t let anything bad happen to Johnny. “

“Hmm.”  Beverly turned to Marcal. “Marc, how do you manage to say goodbye to Walker?”

“Like this?” Marcal walked up to Walker and gave him a passionate kiss and then squeezed his backside.  “Bye, babe.  See you later.”  Walker pressed his forehead against Marcal’s. “Love you.”

Beverly grinned.  “Well, that’s one way to do it.”  She copied Marcal and Jack made a face.  “What about me?”  Walker grinned. “Oh, sweetie, I didn’t know you felt that way,” he said before he kissed Jack on the lips.  Jack wrinkled his face up. “Uugh. Stubble.” 

“But I notice that’s your only complaint.”

“Yeah, shut up.”  The friends all laughed and Jean-Luc reached out and wiped the tears off Beverly’s cheeks.  “I’ll be ok, love.  Honest.”

“Ok.  I just...I need to go.  I can’t watch you leave.”  Marcal placed a hand on Beverly’s arm. “No, Bev, you need to see him leave.” 

“I...I can’t.”  Beverly flung herself into Jean-Luc’s arms and he held her close. “Shh.  My love. You can do this.  You’re strong.  Come on, I know you are.”  Beverly wiped her face on the back of her hand. “I’m not.” 

“You are.  Bev, look at me.”  Beverly looked up into Jean-Luc’s face. “You are the girl who left Caldos at the age of seventeen.  You didn’t know anyone, and you had never been on a long shuttle ride before.  And you did it.  You can do this.  It’s only for the weekend.  You’ll see me on Sunday evening.  It’s just a practice run for when I get released back to full duty.”  He brushed the hair out of her face.   “I love you, Beverly Picard. I will see you in two days.”  He kissed her again and she soaked in his love before reluctantly letting go.  With a squeeze of his hand, she let him turn and enter the small shuttle Walker had rented for the weekend.  He turned around and waved before closing the hatch and Beverly buried her face in Marcal’s shoulder.  He gently turned her so she could watch the shuttle take off and disappear into the horizon. 

Marcal gave Beverly’s hand a squeeze.  “Lunch?” 

“Yeah, I guess so.”Marcal sensed that Beverly needed to feel physical comfort.  He knew he wasn’t as good as Walker at comforting her, but put an arm around Beverly’s shoulder and led her away. Beverly smiled. “Thanks.” 

“I know I’m not as close to you as Walker or Jack, but....”

“I’m sorry I left you in the apartment alone this past semester. I should have arranged for someone to sublet.” 

“It was fine.  Claude visited a lot.”  Beverly grinned.  “Please tell me he and Missy didn’t have sex in my bed.”

“Uhh...I don’t _think_ they did....but you might want to order a new mattress from stores.”  Beverly made a face. “Ew.  Jean-Luc and I have been using that bed for a week! Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Straight sex grosses me out. I tried not to think about it, just like I’ll try not to think about you and Jean-Luc after Walker leaves.”  Beverly frowned.  “I’m sorry, Marc.  Do you want us to move out?  I didn’t really think to ask if it was ok for Jean-Luc to stay with us for so long.” 

Marcal waived his hand. “You’re fine, Bev.  It’s your apartment too, and we agreed when we rented it that our significant others would be staying whenever they could. Yours just happens to be here for four months.” 

“Thanks.  Hey, so did you decide on proposing to Wally?”  Marcal grinned at his friend. “Not yet. I wanted to talk to you about it first.  You know Wally so well.”  Beverly laughed. “Did he tell you I fell asleep in his bed once when we were discussing my engagement to Jean-Luc?” 

“No!  What happened?”

“Well, you know we got engaged a few months before the end of our third year?”  Marcal nodded and guided Beverly onto a chair at the little cafe they had walked to.  “I couldn’t decide when I wanted to get married. Did I want it right away, did I want a long engagement or and even longer one and wait until after I graduated Medical....so I went to talk to Wally.”

“What did he say?”  Beverly laughed. “That I should go and talk with Jean-Luc.  But one thing he told me was that when I knew I was ready, I would know.”  Marcal thought for a minute. “So you think that I’ll just know when Walker and I are ready for the next step?”  Beverly nodded.

“Thanks, Bev.  I knew you’d be the right person to talk to.”

“No problem.”  Marcal caught Beverly up on all the Stafleet Medical Academy gossip over their lunch and after he walked with her over to the medical building.  She tried to tell him it wasn’t necessary, but he only responded with, “I don’t really have anything to do.”  Beverly had laughed and told him that if he wanted to spend his afternoon watching her register for labs, he was more than welcome to. 

###

“Come on, Johnny. Let’s go down to the pub.” Jean-Luc eyed his friends. “I don’t know, Jack. You weren’t here a few weeks ago...” 

“We’ll take your brothers along. You’ll be fine.  We’ll taste all your drinks for you.”  Jean-Luc grinned at Jack. “Alright, you go talk to Robert.”

“Do I have to?”

“It was _your_ idea....”  Jack stalked off and Walker laughed. “You’re kind of evil sometimes.  Bev is rubbing off on you.”  Jean-Luc joined his friend in laughter.  “I just want to see how big of a hole Jack will dig himself into with Robert.”

Jack jogged back over. “He said he’ll go, if I don’t call him Bobby.”  Jean-Luc laughed. “I might let you guys get away with calling me Johnny, but Robert is only Robert.”

“You call him Robbie.”

“Ah,” Jean-Luc rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s an old childhood knick name.  He only lets me get away with it. Not even Claude or Marie can call him Robbie.”

“What does he call you?” 

“Oh no, I’m not telling you that.”  Jack smirked.  “We’ll find out, Johnny....does Bev know?”

“Nope. “

“Wow, I’m surprised.” 

“It just hasn’t come up. It’s not like I’m deliberately keeping it from her.”  Jean-Luc shrugged.  He saw his brother walk across the courtyard.  “Ready, Robert?”

“Just let me change first.”

###

The five men walked into the pub and Rog Granger greeted them all with a grin.  “I promise this time, Jean-Luc, I will _personally_ bring over your drinks.”

“Ah, thanks Mister Granger.” 

“In fact, first round is on me.”  There were grins all around as the men found a table in the corner and settled in with their drinks. 

“So...Robert....Jean-Luc said you have a nickname for him from childhood?”  Robert nodded. “What is it?”Robert smirked. 

“He won’t say.  _I_ don’t even know, and _I’m_ their brother.” 

“Claude, I was ten when you were born.  I didn’t need to use a nickname for Jean-Luc anymore.”  Claude’s eyes lit up. “Ahh, so it was a pronunciation thing....I’m going to ask Maman.”

“She won’t tell you either.”

“Aw, this isn’t fair!”   Claude crossed his arms and Jean-Luc laughed at his antics. “Give it up, little brother.  Robert and I aren’t going to tell you, neither will Maman or Papa.”

“Ah, but Mrs Picard hasn’t seen my charm yet.  _I’ll_ get her to tell me, Claude. Don’t worry.”  Jean-Luc rolled his eyes. “Another round?” 

Jean-Luc walked up to the bar to order another round and Roger handed Jean-Luc his synthetic drink directly and told him he would have one of the servers bring over the rest.  Jean-Luc nodded in thanks.  He hated that Roger Granger felt like he had to be so protective. It hadn’t been his fault Colette had mixed up the drinks and there really had been no harm done. 

Unfortunately, Colette brought over the drinks.  She eyed Jean-Luc. “Where’s the Mrs?  Already tired of you?” 

“I’m having a night out with my brothers and my best friends.  Have I introduced you to my best friend, Jack Crusher?”  Colette smiled at Jack but returned her attention to Jean-Luc.  “Maybe you would like to dance with me later?  My shift is over in twenty minutes.”

“No thank you, Colette.”  Colette frowned and stalked off.  “Hmmph!”

“Who was that and why is she the most gorgeous woman I have ever seen?”  Walker rolled his eyes at  Jack. 

“I wouldn’t bother, Jackie boy.  She has her heart set on Johnny here.” 

“But....Johnny is married to Bev.”

“Yep.  But the lovely Colette doesn’t seem to care.  Trust me, best to avoid _that_ nightmare.”  Jack glanced back over at Colette one more time. “Eh. I suppose she isn’t really _that_ beautiful. Certainly not as beautiful as your Beverly.  But how to do you know her?”  Jean-Luc mumbled.  “What?”

“I said, I lost my virginity to her when we were sixteen.”

“Oh.  Well, in that case, maybe I don’t want to sleep with her after all.  I don’t want your seconds.”

###

“How did the weekend with Jean-Luc away from you go?”  Beverly shrugged at Runcorn. “I guess he had a good time.”

“Yes, but how did it go for _you_?”

“Um....well, Marc distracted me for most of the weekend.  His boyfriend was away, too.  I didn’t like sleeping alone though.”  Runcorn smiled. “Spoken like a newlywed.  Trust me, Beverly,  in a few years you will be looking forward to having a bed to yourself on occasion!”  Beverly laughed then. 

“Did you worry about him?”

“Every minute.  But it didn’t consume me as much as I thought it would...except at night when I was in bed alone.” 

“But the important thing is you coped.  I know it was only for two nights, but if you think of his next assignment in smaller chunks like that, you should be alright.”

“Plus I’m going to go to La Barre on the weekends when I can and spend time with Jean-Luc’s family.” 

“That sounds like an excellent idea, Beverly.”


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the short chapter!

 “Ensign Picard, you’ve come with such a glowing recommendation from Professor Galen, I feel like I should be offering you a position teaching the intro class!”  Jean-Luc blushed.  “I’m not sure I’m _that_ good, Professor.  I did give up the chance to go with Professor Galen on his expedition in favour of continuing my academy studies instead.” 

The dean of the archaeology department eyed the young man sitting opposite him.  “I suppose, but I understand it was your dream to one day Captain a starship?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Your accident was quite unfortunate then. However, I am prepared to offer you a position as a teaching assistant.  Usually these spots go to graduate students, so naturally, you will receive graduate level credit and if you ever decided to pursue a doctorate, you would have part of the requirements complete.”  Jean-Luc was stunned.  “Thank you, Sir.”

“In fact, if you’d like, you would have my full support to begin working on a doctorate whilst you are land locked .  You could then continue your studies part time from wherever you get posted.  The credits can always transfer later.” 

“Thank you, Sir.  I would love to accept, but I’m also still in recovery and I think trying to take a full semester of work would no doubt impede my recovery.”

“Perhaps so, but I hope you will accept the TA position.”  Jean-Luc thought about it. “I will have to talk it over with my wife and doctors, if that’s alright.  They only cleared me to tutor cadets, not assist with teaching.”

“I understand. The semester doesn’t start for another week and a half, so why not let me know by the end of the week?”

“I can do that, Sir.  Thank you.”  Jean-Luc left the dean’s office with more than he had bargained for.  He never had seriously thought about getting his doctorate in archaeology, but if he could do some of the work via correspondence, it would help to distract him from being apart from Beverly.

Beverly urged him to accept the position and to see about taking one class if the doctors thought he could handle it.  Professor Runcorn thought it would be good for him to keep himself busy, and he would speak with the instructors to ensure they would be willing to make allowances for any of Jean-Luc’s medical needs.  His new doctor, on the other hand, took a little more convincing. 

“Ensign Picard, are you sure you can handle it?”

“Doctor, I will eventually need to be returned to full duty, wouldn’t it be better if I did a full work load here where I could be monitored?”

“Hmm. I’ll allow half.  Take up the TA position and register for one graduate class.  But you must make all your appointments, including PT and if I find you are sliding backwards, we will revisit this plan.  Is that clear?  I know your wife, and if you are anything like her...you’ll work yourself to the bone.”

“Yes, Doctor.  And thank you.  It will keep me from getting too bored.” Jean-Luc grinned at his doctor.  He missed Doctor Stone, and he only hoped he could work with Doctor Whaley. 

Jean-Luc left the doctor’s office with a spring in his step and he stopped by the archaeology building to give Professor Malkai the good news on his way home. 

###

The first week was brutal.  Jean-Luc almost regretted his decision, but Beverly encouraged him and said it would give him something to do while she was studying.  Since she spent the previous semester doing mostly labs and hands-on experience, she would need to hit the books hard this semester, something she was not looking forward to. But getting to sleep in the arms of her husband each night for a few more months made it worth it.

Jean-Luc was progressing with his physical therapy, too and was working on strengthening back up his muscles and re-building his stamina.  He missed running, and wanted to run in the park at least once before he would be confined to a starship for months on end, so they concentrated on his legs and raising his heart rate through alternating running on a treadmill and doing leg presses with increasing weights. 

By the second week, Jean-Luc felt like he was getting into a good rhythm.  He would wake up with Beverly early so they could share breakfast together before she left for class and then he would go to the gym for about an hour to work with his therapist.  The class he was teaching assistant for was in the morning on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and the single class he was taking was on Tuesday and Thursday afternoon, so he had plenty of time for appointments, getting his work done, and extra breaks.  Quite often Beverly would enter their apartment in the early evening and find Jean-Luc sprawled out on their bed with a PADD resting on his chest. 

Beverly and Jean-Luc tried to meet for Lunch when she wasn’t involved in a lab, and they always had dinner together.   Beverly didn’t sign up for any other activities as she wasn’t sure what her work load would be,  so she and Jean-Luc always had their evenings and nights together.  Sometimes they studied, sometimes they went out, but more often they just had quiet time together.

Beverly followed Jean-Luc into the bathroom and scrutinised him in the shower. “Hmm...you know, I think you’re starting to gain more muscle now.” 

“Is that a problem?”

“No, it’s quite sexy.”  To emphasize her point, she gave him a smack across his now firmer bottom and he growled.  “ _Beverly_....” 

“What?”  She giggled as Jean-Luc grabbed her by the hips and pulled her against him. “You know what.”   Beverly snuck her hands around Jean-Luc and squeezed. “Mmm, firm.”  Jean-Luc laughed.

“Stop that. I’m trying to shower.”   Beverly laughed again and captured his lips in a deep kiss.  “Sorry, I’ll let you get back to your shower.”  She pulled away and moved to leave the shower. 

Jean-Luc growled and turned off the water.  “Come here.”  Beverly grinned as Jean-Luc managed to pick her up to carry her over to their bed.  “Mmm, definitely stronger now.”

“Oh, I’ll show you strong.”

“Promise?”

“Always.”

###

“How is your class going?”  Jean-Luc sipped his cup of Earl Grey before answering the professor.  “It’s...tiring.  Really, really tiring. I’m looking forward to the break next week.”

“Do you and Beverly have plans?”

“We’re going to go visit my parents for a few days.  I figure since I’m still on Earth, I might as well see them when I can.  Other than that, nothing other than curling up in bed,”  Jean-Luc blushed. “I mean...”

Professor Runcorn held up his hand. “You don’t have to explain.  I was young and newly married once, too.”

“Does the novelty ever wear off?”

“Of being married?  No. It does not. Been married to my wife for going on thirty-five years now...we met at the Academy as well.”

“Oh, does she teach?”

“No, my wife works at command.  She oversees Stellar Cartography.”  Jean-Luc grinned. “Jack’s boss, then.”

“Hmm. Yes, I suppose.” 

“Professor, did you and your wife serve apart from each other?”  Runcorn nodded. “For seventeen years.  It was....not easy for us, or our children.  But, I suppose that’s why I was so willing to help you when Beverly asked.”

“Children?”

“Yes, we have two grown sons.  Both are in Starfleet.  Arthena, my wife, raised the children while I served away from them and I visited on my shore leave.”

“I don’t want to leave Beverly to raise our children alone.  I want her to be able to serve with me and keep our children with us....that’s why I want to be a Captain. Well, I wanted to be a captain before I met Beverly, but being with her only fuels my desire.  Beverly teased me about making Captain by thirty.  Do you think it’s possible?”

“ _Anything_ is possible.  You sometimes have to be in the right place at the right time for the promotion, Jean-Luc.  So be mindful when you look for a position.  The wrong position could set you back years.”  Jean-Luc frowned. “I was supposed to be a flight controller.” 

“That would have served you well.”

“But Walker talked to his captain about me, and his captain thought he might be able to find me a position, but it might not be as a flight controller.  Will I be able to work my way back to the bridge if I get a position in Astrophysics?” 

“You tell me, Jean-Luc.  Many people don’t start on the command track but they get there because they impress people.”

“Hmm.  The only people I’ve managed to impress is Professor Galen, and archaeology is hardly going to earn a bridge position. Maybe I should be getting my doctorate in astrophysics instead.” Runcorn nodded. “You could always get degrees in both.  For example, I bet you had no idea that I also hold a doctorate in twentieth century literature?”

“No, Sir.” 

“It’s something to think about. Not literature, mind.  But you should speak with the Astrophysics department and see if they would be willing to let you work on your doctorate while serving.  I think it would mostly be book work, unlike your archaeology degree, where you will eventually have to take some time off to do field work.” Jean-Luc frowned.  “I hadn’t thought about that.  In that case, I can see putting off the archaeology degree for a while. I wouldn’t want to take time off and ruin my chances.” 

“Jean-Luc,  I must commend you for your ambition. “

“Uhm...thank you, Sir.” 

“And I also must tell you, I see no reason why I can’t release you from my care. You seem to have adjusted well to your new heart and you have a good head on your shoulders.” 

“Thank you, Sir.  Would you still see Beverly?”

“If she wants to see me, I am willing.”

###

Beverly wanted to go to a cabin in the mountains.  “Please, Jean-Luc?  You, me, a bed, and a fireplace?  It’s not like we don’t have the money for it...”

“Well, when you put it like that...throw in a hot tub and I’m there.”  Beverly grinned. “Great! Because I already made the reservations and it does indeed have a hot tub.”

“Of course you did.” 

“My last class gets out at 2, and I know you don’t have class in the afternoon on a Friday, so we can get to your parents house by supper time, stay for two days, then move to the cabin I found us in the Alps for five days.” 

“That’s seven days, we have ten.”

“Yep. So we can go back to your parents.”  Jean-Luc grinned and wrapped his arms around her. “Why don’t we just come back here? More privacy...”

“Walker is visiting Marc.”  Jean-Luc’s face brightened.  “Well, that’s great.  I miss Walker!”

“Uhm...no, Jean-Luc.  Walker is _visiting_ Marc. And I don’t think they intend on leaving Marc’s bedroom if you know what I mean.”  Jean-Luc’s eyes went wide. “Oh!  Right.  Then...your plans sound good.”  Beverly grinned.

“Knew you would see it my way.” Jean-Luc leaned over and kissed her. “Don’t I always?”

“Mmm, usually. So how did your appointments go today?”

“Pretty good.  Professor Runcorn said he would release me, and Doctor Whaley thinks I’m progressing well, but I still can’t go off the medication yet. He doesn’t want to release me until I’m off the medication as he thinks it would be hard to administer and keep to a schedule on a starship.”

“He’s probably right.  And running?  Can we go running in the park yet?”

“Not yet.  I mean, I can, but not for very long.  I seem to be able to run for about 40 minutes beforeI start to feel wheezy.”  Beverly frowned and curled closer to him on the couch. “What do you mean, Wheezy?”  Jean-Luc brought his arm around Beverly and held her against him. “Maybe that’s the wrong word. Tight?  Like, my heart starts to feel like it’s going to fall out of my chest.”

“Oh. That’s not good.”  Jean-Luc frowned and shook his head. “No, it’s not.  The thing is, there’s nothing _wrong_...my body just seems to be taking longer to get used to using the new heart at...high capacity.  I know that’s not the right word, but it’s the only thing I can think of to describe it.” 

“Under stress?”

“I guess so.  But just like being on the medication, I can’t be released until that stops happening . I mean, regular shortness of breath would be normal after running, but my heart shouldn’t hurt...it’s mechanical. It can’t hurt.  But Beverly...what If I never get back to one hundred percent?”

“Sounds like you _do_ still need to talk to Professor Runcorn.”  Beverly ran her hand over his head and rested it at the back of his neck before pulling him in for a slow kiss. “You know you will.  I know you will.  You’ve come so far and it’s only been seven months. They said it might take up to a year.”  Jean-Luc sighed and kissed her back. “I know.  And it’s not that I want to leave _you_ , but I hate having my career on hold like this.  If I’m going to make Captain by thirty....”  Beverly straddled his lap and placed one hand on either side of his face. “You will.  I know you will.  This was only a setback. You’ll overcome it.” She kissed him.  He wrapped his arms around her and lost himself in his wife’s kisses. 

###

Their trip the Alps was just what they both needed.   Beverly and Jean-Luc were snuggling together under the blankets after making love and Beverly reached over and activated the bed warming function. 

“Mm, Bev...we need this on our bed.” 

“You’d never leave.”

“Truth!”  Jean-Luc pulled Beverly on top of him. “But neither would you!”  Beverly laughed and leaned down to kiss him.  “I suppose it would be nice on sore muscles...we’ll have to look into it when we get back.”  Jean-Luc returned the kiss and held her close before letting out a yawn.  Beverly laughed. “Tired, love?”

“Mm, just a little.   _Someone_ has been very demanding.”

“I don’t see you complaining.”

“Maybe not, but I think I need some sleep.”  Jean-Luc kissed Beverly one more time before drifting off to sleep.


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, I do apologize for the length of time it took me to get back to this fic. I think I mentioned it before, but a family member is in hospital and it's been a lot of going back and forth to a hospital many miles away from us and I haven't been feeling like writing. 
> 
> I decided to end this story here and do a lot of time jumps to get it to where I wanted it rather than try to limp on for a few more chapters. 
> 
> There might be a sequel eventually. I actually have parts of it planned out and everything!

The break was just what Jean-Luc and Beverly needed, and when Jean-Luc saw his doctor he was pleased to find out he would be able to reduce his dosage from four times per day down to two – morning and night.  The eventual goal was to get Jean-Luc switched over to a patch that would regulate his medication and only need to be changed once per month – something that could easily be done by a ship’s CMO.  Jean-Luc had misheard Doctor Stone and thought he would only need the medication for six months, but it turned out he would be on an anti-rejection medication for the rest of his life, just not via a hypospray.  If he was lucky, monthly patches would turn into bi-monthly, and then eventually quarterly...and who knew where technology would take them.

Jean-Luc finished out the semester as a TA, and would have 2 class credits on his transcript for a masters degree in Archaeology, however he had decided to switch to an Astrophysics degree instead -  this would enable him to continue to work towards getting his doctorate even after he was released to full duty...which he hoped was soon.  As much as he loved being with his wife for longer, he wanted to get his career moving.  Especially since he still wanted to become a captain by the time he reached thirty.

Beverly finished at the top of her class, per usual, and would have two weeks off before she would begin the Summer study session. The Summer session lasted for only twelve weeks, but it would be intense.   Jean-Luc had signed up for his first Astrophysics graduate class after speaking with the professor and getting permission in case he got cleared for full duty in the middle of the semester.

###

Beverly flipped over to the next day in her planner and froze.  The day would mark one year since Jean-Luc’s accident. One year since she had almost lost him.  She ripped the page out of her planner, crumpled it, and threw it across the room.  The page bounced off Jean-Luc’s chest as he walked into the room.

“Bev?”  Beverly turned around with tears shining in her eyes.  “Beverly...are you ok?”  Jean-Luc crossed the room in quick strides and gathered her into his arms.  “To...tomorrow....”

“Shh, Love, what’s tomorrow?”

“Your....your accident.  I....almost lost you....it was....” Beverly swallowed back her tears.  “It was the worst day of my life.”  Jean-Luc gently stroked her hair and kissed her forehead.  “My love, it’s alright.  I’m here.  I’m fine.”  He took her hand and placed it over his heart.  “It might be artificial, but it’s my heart.  Isn’t that what you said to me?”  Beverly smiled through her tears. “Yeah,  yeah it was.”  Beverly brought a hand up and wiped away her tears. “I’m sorry.  It’s just...our life is so different than what I thought it would have been...I thought I would have been waiting for you to come home to visit and you would have been on a ship.”

“I know.  I wasn’t expecting any of this.”  He kissed her gently.  “Do you have class tomorrow?” 

“Just a lab.”

“Can you skip it? We could spend the day together?”  Beverly nodded. “I just have to send a message to the professor.” 

“Do it.  We’ll go do something nice, just the two of us.”  Beverly leaned up and kissed him. “I love you, Jean-Luc.  I’m glad you’re still here.”

“I love you too.”

###

“Professor Runcorn, you wanted to see me?”  Jean-Luc peered inside the psychologist’s office and paused, seeing another man seated in front of the holofire.  “Sorry, am I interrupting you?”

“No, no.  Come in, Jean-Luc.  Come in.” Professor Runcorn grinned at Jean-Luc as he entered. “Tea?”  Jean-Luc nodded and Runcorn passed him a cup of Earl Grey. 

“Thank you.”

“Jean-Luc,  I would like to introduce you to my friend, Captain Gregory Quinn.”  Jean-Luc held out his hand.  “Hello, Sir.” 

“Ensign.  The professor here has been telling me about you.”  Captain Quinn took Jean-Luc’s hand and firmly shook it while Jean-Luc threw a curious glance at the professor. “Oh, nothing bad, Jean-Luc.  I was just telling Greg here about your accomplishments.” 

“Yes, I understand you were slated to be a flight controller for Captain Hansen?”  Jean-Luc nodded. “Yes, Sir. Unfortunately, I had an accident and was prevented from assuming my post.” 

“A fight with a Nausicaan, I understand?” 

“I...ah..” Gregory Quinn slapped Jean-Luc on the back. “It’s fine, my boy.  I understand how these things happen.  I was a young Ensign fresh out of the Academy once.”

“The Nausicaan hit my friend.  I was defending him when one of the Nausicanns pulled a knife out and stabbed me.”

“I read about the case. Captain Paris is a good friend of mine.  I understand you’re married?”  Jean-Luc beamed.  “Yes, sir.  Nearly two years now.  My wife is at the medical academy studying to be a doctor.” 

“I see, I see. And your wife and you are alright with being separated?”  Jean-Luc slowly nodded. “We knew what we were signing up for when we got married.  She has three more years left at the medical academy and two more of internships, but we do hope we can be stationed together at some point.” Quinn nodded.  “That sounds like a good plan. In the meantime, you have five years in which to establish your career.” 

“Yes, Sir.  I’m afraid I lost a year due to my accident, and I haven’t yet been released to full duty.” 

“Hmm.  But I understand you spent the past semester working on your doctorate while you recovered?”  Jean-Luc nodded. “I was a TA for Intro to Archaeology and took one class, but I’m going to transfer to working on an Astrophysics doctorate instead.”

“Why?”

“I feel Astrophysics would help me in my career better than Archaeology at this point.”  Quinn nodded.

“I think I’ve heard all I need to.”  Jean-Luc looked at Captain Quinn with a puzzled look on his face. “Sir?”

“Right, Ensign Picard.  Once you are cleared for full duty, I expect you to contact me to make arrangements to join my crew.  You’ll be in Astrophysics for now, but if you perform well, we’ll see about moving you to the bridge.”

“Err....thank you, Sir. I accept.  But...ah, I’m not sure yet when I will be released.”  Captain Quinn beamed at the younger man. “It doesn’t matter. The position is yours.  Oh, and I understand a friend of yours, Ensign Keel is assigned to my ship.” 

“Thank you Sir!  I won’t disappoint you!”  Quinn chuckled.  “I expect to hear from you soon.  Malcolm, good to see you again.” 

“You too, Greg.”  Captain Quinn left the office and Jean-Luc turned towards the professor.  “Thank you.”

“I didn’t do anything.”  Jean-Luc shook his head. “You did.  You saw something in me...thank you.” 

“You’re welcome, my boy.  Now, sit down and talk to me.  I haven’t seen you in a few months.  Tell me what’s been going on for you and Beverly.  How is your recovery going?” 

###

The gruelling Summer session was coming to a close, and with it, Beverly and Jean-Luc’s second wedding anniversary.  Since they had missed the first one due to Jean-Luc being unconscious, Jean-Luc decided to book the same place they had visited on their belated honeymoon.  Beverly had been delighted and started packing and Jean-Luc grinned when she passed him the tiny valise she had packed for their week away. 

“What?  It’s not like I need much.  Toiletries, a  few bikinis, my dressing gown....”  Jean-Luc’s grin got bigger. “You can leave the bikinis home, you know. We’ll have our own private secluded pool and beachfront again.”  Beverly raised her eyebrows.  “Suppose you aren’t packing anything?” 

“The room has a replicator if we really need anything.  Maybe a pair of flip flops?”  Beverly shook her head. “Fine.  I’ll unpack my bag.”  Jean-Luc caught her around the waist and kissed her.  “Love you.”  Beverly smirked against her lips. “You’re only saying that because I just agreed to spend the week naked.” 

“That’s just an extra bonus.” 

###

Beverly threw herself into her studies. Even with Jean-Luc still home for another few months, she didn’t want to get herself behind in her classes, and Jean-Luc had signed up for an Astrophysics class as well as a Teaching Assistant job once more.  They easily fell into their old routine from when they were both cadets and newly married – making sure they ate their evening meal and morning meal together, and carving out some time together over the weekends. 

They were laying in bed together, fingers entwined, when Jean-Luc brought up his leaving.

“Beverly, love, are you sure you’re alright if I go with Captain Quinn?  I can ask to stay at the Academy....finish my doctorate here...”  Beverly smiled, but shook her head. “No.  You belong in the stars.  Besides, if your accident hadn’t happened, you wouldn’t be here anyway.” 

“Hmm, true. And you won’t worry about me?”

“Of course I’ll worry about you,” she scoffed. “It’s my job as your wife.”  Jean-Luc brought her fingers to his lips and kissed them gently. “Alright, fine.  But promise you won’t panic if we don’t talk daily?” 

Beverly squirmed. “Every other day?”  Jean-Luc smiled. “I think we can manage that.  But if for some reason I _can’t_...”

“I won’t panic right away.  Promise.”

“Besides, I’ll be with Walker.”  Beverly rolled her eyes. “As if Walker could somehow protect you?” 

“Noo....but I thought it might make you feel better.” 

“It does.  When do you leave?”

“Two weeks.  The doctors here want to talk with the CMO on the ship before they release me into their care.”  Beverly nodded. “Makes sense.”  

“But I talked to Captain Quinn.  He’s going to give me leave when your classes end for the semester.” Beverly grinned. “Our island?” 

“Mm, twist my arm.”

###

Jean-Luc picked up their wedding photograph and ran his finger down Beverly’s face before placing it in his case.  He was lucking out and Quinn was assigning him quarters with Walker, and he knew Walker wouldn’t laugh at him for having a picture of Beverly.  He smiled as Beverly came into the room and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her tightly against him.  He kissed her deeply. “I love you, Beverly Picard.”

“I love you too, Jean-Luc Picard.  It’s our last night together, what do you want to do?”  Jean-Luc wiggled his eyebrows at his wife and she smacked his chest. “Besides _that_.” 

“Uh...I don’t know. Dinner?” 

“Mm, and dancing?”  Jean-Luc raised his eyebrows. “Don’t push it.” 

“Aww...please?  It’ll be our last night out for a while....” 

“Yes,” Jean-Luc slowly drew out. “That’s why I’d much rather we spend the night at home...just the two of us?”  He ran his hand slowly down Beverly’s back and gently squeezed her bottom.  “Well, when you put it like that...I’ll turn off the comms.” 

They spent their evening having a quiet dinner.  Jean-Luc had been given permission to drink alcohol by his doctor, but he decided to limit himself and only drank one glass.  After dinner, he pulled Beverly into his arms and asked the computer to play music. 

“You wanted to dance, my love?”  Beverly grinned into his lips as he kissed her. “I have a better idea...”  She tugged Jean-Luc towards their bedroom and started removing her clothing.  When her bra hit Jean-Luc in the face he grinned. “Oh, I like this idea!”

###

Beverly had barely materialised in their private cabana before Jean-Luc’s lips were on hers.  They hadn’t seen each other in several months and Jean-Luc had missed his wife.

“Mm, give a girl a chance to fully materialise first!”  Jean-Luc chuckled. “I’m sorry, my love.  I just missed you.” 

“Missed you too, but oh, this semester was rough.”  Jean-Luc kissed her  forehead and took her bag off her shoulder. “Want to tell me about it?”

“It’s nothing I haven’t told you over subspace.  I’m not looking forward to next semester.  Exobiology.  Ugh."  Beverly made a face and headed towards the bathroom. 

“But if you want to be a Chief Medical Officer...”

“I know, I know.  It doesn’t mean I have to like the class.”  She flicked on the water and started filling the tub.  Jean-Luc raised his eyebrows.  “I’ve been dreaming about these jets.” 

“Oh? Is that _all_ you’ve been dreaming about?”  He reached for the zip on the back of her dress and dragged it down.  Beverly laughed and pulled the sleeves off her arms to let the dress fall to the floor.  “Of course not.”  She reached for his belt and made quick work of his trousers and shirt, tossing them both towards the bedroom.  She turned her back to her husband and unclasped her bra and slid her knickers down her legs.  Jean-Luc reached out and ran his hand over her behind and she moaned.  He tugged off his boxers and got into the large tub and settled Beverly in his lap.  “Missed you.” 

“You already said that.” 

“Sorry.”

“No you’re not.  Now shut up and kiss me.” 

###

Beverly was halfway through her third year of medical school when she had to start thinking about her residency as there were many students applying for the same positions, and several rounds of interviews.  She wanted to be somewhere where she could see Jean-Luc easily on pre-arranged shore leaves, which meant searching starbases and planets.  She deeply admired the work of Dalen Quaice, and hoped she could get a space on Delos IV with him.  It would be a bit far for Jean-Luc, but Beverly hoped they could still make it work.  She punched in the code to call Jean-Luc, and Walker answered.

“Wally!”

 _“Hey Bev!  How are you?  I haven’t seen you in ages....”_ Beverly grinned at her friend and noticed a slight shine on his ring finger.  She raised her eyebrow. “Something you forgot to tell your _best friend_?” 

 _“Hmm?”_ Beverly held up her own ring finger and waggled her finger.  “ _Oh, right. I thought Marc would have told you.  We eloped on our last shore leave together._ ” 

“You _eloped?!_ ”

“ _Yes...Bev, are you mad?”_ Beverly frowned. “I’m not mad...just sad that I wasn’t there.  Does Jean-Luc know?”

“ _Er...Yes?  I mean, we do share quarters.”_ Beverly set her lips in a line. “I see.  And he didn’t bother to tell me that our best friend was married?!” 

 _“Oh, hey, look, Johnny just came back in. I’ll, ah, let you talk to him...see you later, Bev.”_ Walker blew a kiss at Beverly and backed away from the console.  Jean-Luc chuckled and settled into the chair.  “Something wrong?”

_“Why didn’t you tell me Walker and Marc got married?”_

“Honestly, I assumed Marc would have told you...you guys are still sharing a flat, right?”  Beverly narrowed her eyes.  _“We haven’t seen each other much lately...and I guess he must have been hiding his hand.  Oh, wait until I get my hands on him!”_ Jean-Luc chuckled. 

“I’m sure you didn’t call me to talk about our friend’s secret elopement.”

_“No.  I was looking at my applications for my internship after next year and I wanted your opinion on Delos Four.”_

“Well...I know it’s a planet.  It’s the fourth one in the Delos star system, and a federation member planet. Why?”

 _“Doctor Dalen Quaice is there.  I wondered about doing my residency under him.”_ Jean-Luc ran his hand over his further receding hairline.  “Well, I’m not going to stop you if that’s what you’re worried about.  It’s a safe planet.  Bit far out, but I’m sure we could work out meeting someplace.  Starbase Twenty-four isn’t far from it.”  Beverly’s eyes lit up. _“Really?”_

“Of course, my love. You don’t think I would hold you back from your dreams?” 

_“No, of course not.  I just wasn’t sure if you would mind.”_

“Apply for it, Bev.”

_“Alright. I will.”_

###

Jean-Luc debarked the shuttle and Beverly ran into his arms.  He spun her around and kissed her.  “Oh, Beverly.  I’ve missed you.  Or should I call you Doctor Picard?”  Beverly grinned.

“Not yet. I mean, yeah.  I guess so.”  Jean-Luc set Beverly down and they twined their  fingers together.  This had been their longest separation so far, but they had managed it with frequent long subspace calls.  Beverly glanced up and noticed the new insignia on Jean-Luc’s chest.  “Lieutenant?! When were you going to tell me?”

“Surprise?”  Beverly leaned up and gave him a kiss. “Congratulations.”

“Thank you.  Captain Quinn decided to promote me and transfer me to ‘someplace my skills would be better used’. His words.  I’ll join the _Stargazer_ as a flight controller after I help you get settled on Delos Four.” 

“Oh, how exciting! I’m so proud of you, Jean-Luc!”

“Thank you.  Now, what do you say we go back to our apartment before Walker gets here and, ah...”  he wiggled his eyebrows at his wife. 

“Is that all you think about?”

“Beverly, it’s been _eight months_!  It’s all I can think about!”  Beverly laughed.  “Come on, let’s go home.”

###

Beverly was anxiously waiting for her posting to come in.  Her time interning was over, and as of last week, she was finally a fully fledged doctor.  She hadn’t seen her husband in many months as the _Stargazer_ had been sent out into deep space, but they managed to keep in touch by sending messages whenever his ship was in range of a relay.  They were managing their time apart much better than either had anticipated, but Beverly would be glad when their time apart was over.  She was hoping to get posted to join her husband on the _Stargazer_ as a junior medical officer, or at least onto one of the bases the _Stargazer_ frequented.  They planned on trying to serve together on the same ship, so if she couldn’t get placed on the _Stargazer_ , Jean-Luc was going to ask for a reassignment. 

Beverly continued to work under Doctor Quaice while she waited for her assignment to come through, but naturally, she was anxious.  Her console dinged with a message.  She was being offered a position on Starbase Thirty-two.  She sighed.  At least it was the base Jean-Luc’s ship was frequently at.  She sent her husband a message to give him her news.  She couldn’t think of it as good news, as she wanted to be serving with him, but at least she would be closer.  She accepted the position and went to tell Doctor Quaice that she would be leaving for Starbase Thirty-two within a few days. 

Beverly settled into her new quarters on Starbase Thirty-Two and waited for word from Jean-Luc.  He had managed to send her a congratulatory message and told her he would see her as soon as the _Stargazer_ returned to the base, but it had been several months and Beverly was, despite promising Jean-Luc she would do her best not to, starting to worry about her husband.

Four months later, the _Stargazer_ limped into port and Beverly was the first person Jean-Luc saw when he walked down the gangway.  He enveloped her in his arms and kissed her deeply. “Oh, Beverly.  For a while there, I was worried I would never see you again.”

“I worried too. I’m glad you’re here. What happened?”  Jean-Luc pressed his face into her hair and inhaled her scent. “I’ll tell you later. Right now I just want to hold you in my arms...” he was tapped on the shoulder by his old Captain, now Admiral Quinn. 

“Jean-Luc...or should I call you, _Acting Captain Picard_ ,”  Beverly raised her eyebrows at her husband and he blushed. “debriefing will begin in three days time.  Please, take some time to be with your wife.  We will discuss your future then.”

“Ye...Yes, Sir.”  Quinn smiled at Beverly before leaving the couple and Jean-Luc took Beverly’s hand in his.  “Take me to our quarters?”

“I will, but... _Acting Captain_?!  You have a lot to explain to me...”

Over dinner, Jean-Luc told Beverly everything. How they had been attacked by Cardassians and the Captain and first officer had been killed.  The second officer had been injured, and so the job of commanding the ship had fallen to the most senior member on the bridge -  Flight Controller Lieutenant Commander Jean-Luc Picard.  There had been several higher ranked officers in other departments, but none on the bridge, and no one questioned Jean-Luc’s orders. 

The _Stargazer_  was a small ship with a compliment of only around 400 and they had suffered many losses during the battle.  The ship would probably be in dry dock for at least a month, and after....well, Jean-Luc expected to possibly be promoted to second or even first officer...maybe even be made a Commander. 

But he wasn’t expecting to walk out of his meeting with Admiral Quinn, clad in a new jumpsuit style uniform, sporting four shiny pips on his collar – the four shiny pips of a captaincy. 

###FIN###

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. As always, your support is appreciated.


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